EUROPE, 



THROUGH A WOMAN'S EYE 



MRS. LUCY YEEND CULLER. 



INTRODUCTION 



REV. PROF. W. H. WYNN, PH. D. 



PUBLISHED FOR TUB AUTHOR. 







PHILADELPHIA: 

LUTHERAN PUBLICATION SOCIETY, 

1883. 



Copyright, 1883. 



cA 11 



q d 



DEDICATED TO 

MY BELOVED HUSBAND, 
Rev. J. H. Culler. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Bacon's Essay on travel, written when the great age of dis- 
covery and travel was just opening upon the world, is still the 
wisest summary of good counsel on the subject that can anywhere 
be found. The benefit of travel, the objects the traveller should 
look after and the places he should visit ; the aids he should seek 
and the company he should keep ; and, finally, the beneficent 
uses to which his knowledge and experiences should be applied — 
all this is condensed in that brief essay not two spans long. 

In the closing parapraph ample justification is found for the 
little book that is herewith sent forth upon the world. " When 
a traveller returneth home, let him not leave the countries where 
he hath travelled, altogether behind him, but maintain a corres- 
pondence by letters with those of his acquaintance which are of 
most worth." The same end, however, — that of keeping up the 
interest of travel among the friends with whom we are anxious 
to share the marvel of the sights we have seen, and the memory 
of the thronging experiences through which we have passed, may 
be attained by writing a book, especially if in that book some 
definite aim is kept in view. There is no better souvenir, and 
no better way of not " leaving the travelled lands altogether be- 
hind." 

It is true there are many books of this kind, and it is held 
that they can have only a transitory interest within a circle of 
readers that is never at any time large. But there is a peculiar 
exhilaration attending the reading of a book of this kind, a 
pleasure somewhat analogous to that which the traveller himself 
enjoys when in the presence of strange objects and strange people 
he notes down his experiences and catches and cages the pass- 

(v) 



VI INTRODUCTION. 

ing joy. And so the popular craving for information and enter- 
tainment of this sort seems never to abate, and the " transitory 
interest," as it is called, has to be repeated every year, in every 
variety of way. Witness the amount of space given up to the 
literature of travel in the great magazines of the day, and the 
enormous expenditure in securing for these articles the best illus- 
trations the pictorial art can supply. Witness, too, the recently 
revived passion for diaries of times long past, private inventories, 
so to speak, of incidents and places rendered foreign almost by 
the long lapse of intervening years. These dusty manuscripts 
are raked out from the garrets and rubbish corners of old libraries 
and lumber-rooms, and when published are greedily solicited 
over seas and all round the world, because of the ceaseless de- 
light we have in anything distant from us either in time orspace. 
We want to traverse these strange spots, hallowed by the stirring 
events and illustrious deeds of other days, in imagination if not 
in reality, and momentarily drop out of ourselves into the 
hearts and homes, the market places, the Senate halls, the 
busy thoroughfares, the surging tides of human life booming un- 
der other skies. 

So far books of travel must share their interest with works of 
history, dramatic compositions, and the engulfing flood of ro- 
mance, that pours every year upon the world. They keep our 
"enthusiasm of humanity" aglow when otherwise it might die 
out. But there is a special sense in which works of this kind 
may serve a distinctive use of their own. Dr. Johnson was wont 
to say: "The use of travelling is to regulate the imagination by 
reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them 
as they are." That is, it broadens the mind, and enlarges the 
views, of him whose happiness it is to travel. There is no one 
who has settled down, as every one ought, into the routine of 
some way of honorable and beneficent toil, that will not by and 
by betray the narrowing influence of his surroundings, and even 
be painfully conscious of the fact. We have no word of encour- 
agement for the spirit of unrest and discontent which is the pre- 
vailing malady of the age. One needs only to look in upon the 



INTRODUCTION. VII 

passengers of the next train that halts for a moment at the vil- 
lage depot, to see the unmistakable signs of a restless, fidgety, 
longing, nervous habit exactly the opposite of the devout sighing 
of the Psalmist for the wings of a dove — an eager multitude 
wanting the iron wings of steam to carry them into the utter- 
most parts of the earth. It is abnormal no doubt. But on the 
supposition that to the hard-working, painfully-drudging, relig- 
iously-faithful man or woman, the time for recreation has fairly 
come, travel will bring with it not only the recuperating advan- 
tages of a change, but the special broadening discipline of which 
Dr. Johnson speaks. The cosmopolitan spirit he must measur- 
ably have. He must know things as they actually are, and not 
as he might imagine them to be. We are so likely, as Tennyson 
says, to 

— " Take the rustic murmur of our bourg 
For the great wave that echoes round the world," 

and so fall short of that broad ample sympathy with the race, 
which is not only the height of liberal culture, but the sweetest 
essence of the religion we profess. Travel is an antidote to this. 
But what if one is so situated that the hard ligaments of rou- 
tine will never relax? He cannot go abroad. He must rise and 
retire, and go through the monotonous round of duties all the 
working days of the year. Then a vacation by proxy may be 
furnished to his hand in a book of this kind. He may look 
upon the strange scenes of other climes through the eyes of some 
more fortunate one, who has seen not only, but put his choicest 
impressions into print. What is required to make a book of 
this kind of substitutional value is, that it be predominantly realis- 
tic in its style ; that the art of the writer be such, that the reader 
will follow along easily and buoyantly in the track of the de- 
scriptions, and not have his imagination embarrassed by minutiae 
of detail nor by a dry, lumbering stiffness of style. Equally 
fatal is it, if the descriptions of noted places and circumstances 
are overweighted with comment, or set off with excessive orna- 
mentation from the writer's overflow of rhetorical zeal. Many 
otherwise valuable works of travel are harmed in this way. 



Vlll ' INTRODUCTION. 

Now of the little, unpretentious book, whose commission to 
the reading world we are now executing, it may be said by way 
of cordial unreserved commendation that it may claim exemption 
from the above-mentioned faults. There is a certain rapidity of 
narrative, free-flowing, conversational, elegantly easy way of 
telling what was experienced, resembling very much what might 
be familiarly communicated by a cultured lady to a circle of par- 
lor friends chatting leisurely the social hour away. Only it is 
not gossip. You see at once that every point visited, every 
noted locality upon which this woman's eyes have fallen, has re- 
ceived just that kind of attention that has made conspicuous the 
objects and aspects of things that, out of the multiplicity of de- 
tails, are most likely to answer the spontaneous prompting of the 
reader's mind. Here, for example, is the city of Paris, or the 
Alps, or Florence, or Rome, — the details of daily observation 
are infinite, and the woman's art consists in instantaneously 
catching at the events and sights which out of the great throng 
of impressions, will best secure for herself, and convey to others 
a vivid realization of the time and place. It is noticeable how 
this trait runs throughout the entire narrative, giving it a unique 
charm of its own. We do certainly go with this delightful 
companion every step of the way. We see what she sees; 
we share her pleasures, and even her weariness, when by 
times that is noted, climbing great flights of steps, or clamb- 
ering along the mountain side, or battling with the dizziness of 
the ocean wave. In order to make things real, so that the 
mind can walk round the object described, or peer into it, 
or lay hands upon it, or scale its utmost limits, the writer has 
wisely deemed that the actual dimensions of things so far as 
such data are accessible to her, are indispensable to the suc- 
cessful limning of her pictures. In general this narrative is to 
be commended for so attaching us to the society of this cultured 
woman during all the varied experiences of a European tour, that 
we regretfully part company when the narrative is at an end. 

This, possibly, is the special charm of seeing Europe through 
a woman's eyes. It is what the penetrating, quick-minded, 



INTRODUCTION. IX 

sympathetic woman sees and enjoys, what the grosser, less nim- 
ble vision of man would fail to note, or noting would miss 
widely from its deeper significance in the sum of things — this 
that pleases us, this that lures us from page to page to the end. 
And so we have another proof that the great poet did not fall 
one whit below that high philosophic standard which everywhere 
has guided him in his interpretation of human nature, when he 
makes one of his characters say: 

" From women's eyes this doctrine I derive ; 
They sparkle still the right Promethean fire ; 
They are the books, the arts, the academies; 
That show, contain, and nourish all the world." 

W. H. Wynn. 
Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Atlantic Ocean 

Adriatic Sea J 

Antwerp 

Amsterdam 43 

Abbottsford 2I1 

. 218 

Ayr 

■r, .. ■ -r, HO 

Brumg Pass 

Brussels ' • • 3 

Chamouny 

Castle of Chillon 33 

Cologne •" 

Chester ^ 

Cheltenham ' 

Chatsworth Estate * 93 

Carlisle 

Danube River 

Down the Rhine 33 

English Channel 

English Lake Region 22 3 

Edinburgh 

Florence "•' 

Frankfort J 

Falls of Schaflhausen n 4 

Geneva 5 

Geneva to Chamouny 2 ' 

Genoa 



Glasgow 

Heidelberg 



217 
128 
196 



Haddon Hall 

Ilawthornden 

Home Again 

Interlaken " 

Kenilworth Castle 9 

Liverpool to London • 

London 4 

(xi) 



Xll CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Lake Lucerne 117 

Lake Geneva 32 

Lake Maggiore 37 

Lake Constance 113 

Lake Brienz 119 

Lake Thun 122 

Lucerne 116 

Milan 38 

Mount Vesuvius 55 

Munich 108 

Melrose Abbey 209 

Naples 47 

North Sea 147 

Oxford 179 

Paris 9 

Pisa 44 

Pompeii 52 

Rome 61 

Rosslyn Chapel 213 

Strassburg 123 

Stratford on Avon 188 

Stirling Castle 214 

Scottish Lakes 216 

Simplon Pass 35 

The Hague 146 

The Trossachs ..215 

Versailles 22 

Venice 97 

Vienna 104 

Worms 130 

Windsor Castle 177 

Warwick 190 

York Cathedral 197 



EUROPE THROUGH A WOMAN'S EYE 



CHAPTER I. 



On the 29th of April, 1882, at three o'clock in the afternoon, 
the old steamship Egypt, of the National line, that had ploughed 
the deep for eleven years, steamed out of New York bay, and 
my husband and I bade good-bye to America, for a few months. 
For an hour before sailing, the deck was crowded with the 
friends of those who were about to take the long voyage-of three 
thousand five hundred miles across the Atlantic ocean. 

A graceful young lady stepped up to us and introduced herself 
as a sister of one of my most intimate girl friends (Jessie Beck). 
She had come as her sister's representative, to bid us " God 
speed," and at parting presented me a lovely little nosegay, a 
delicate cream rose encircled with forget-me-nots and geranium 
leaves. I almost worshiped these few flowers, and kept them fresh 
for many days; for if there is any place in the world where people 
appreciate flowers it is on the broad, deep ocean, where none of 
nature's green relieves the eye, but all is water — water every- 
where. In two hours the shores of America had entirely van- 
ished from sight. It was with a tinge of sadness that we stood 
on deck and watched the land until it appeared like a tiny speck 
on the horizon. We had left America, home and friends be- 
hind ; but grand old historical Europe, the country we had so 
long desired to see, was ahead ! 

Everything on the vessel was new and strange, and we flew 
hither and thither, to learn all we could about what was to be 
our little world for eleven days. The Egypt is four hundred 

(O 



ATLANTIC OCEAN. 



and fifty feet long and forty-six feet wide. The saloon passen- 
gers, ninety-nine in number, occupied one part of the ship, and 
the steerage passengers the other. The dining saloon is one 
hundred and fifty feet long, the tables running the entire length, 
with velvet-cushioned benches for seats, and the floors are car- 
peted with Brussels. The state-rooms on either side of the 
dining-saloon are six by eight feet, with quite good accommo- 
dations. We had four meals a day; breakfast, at half-past eight ; 
lunch, at half-past twelve; dinner, at five; and tea, at half-past 
eight in the evening. The meals were simply wonderful. For 
instance, this is an ordinary bill of fare for dinner: 

Mock-turtle and spring soup. 

Pigeons on toast, and mushrooms. 

Mutton cutlets, curried chicken and rice. 

Dresden patties, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. 

Boiled mutton and caper sauce. 

Roast lamb and mint sauce. 

Roast fillet of veal, corned pork and vegetables. 

Corned beef, roast turkey, sausages and cranberry sauce. 

Duck and green peas. 

Ham and tongue, pickles and asparagus. 

Plum and custard pudding, damson tarts, currant pies, Leipzig 
and plum cakes, Genoese pastry, apple tripple blanc mange, 
calves-foot jelly, Charlotte russe, macaroni cheese. 

Apples, oranges, raisins, and several kinds of nuts. 

All of the China dishes bear this stamp, "National Steamship 
Company," "Pro orbis utilitate" (for the use of the world). 
The tureens for meats and vegetables are of solid silver, and 
when the bell taps, the waiters take all the covers off at once, 
sometimes revealing the most unheard-of mixtures. Mr. Culler 
took four square meals every day, and did not indulge in sea- 
sickness. But alas ! I was not so fortunate : the first night I fully 
realized what it was to be "rocked in the cradle of the deep," 
and the next morning upon raising my head from my pillow, I 
was initiated into the mysteries of sea-sickness, and it clung to 
me tenaciously; for seven successive days, I cast up my accounts 



ATLANTIC OCEAN. 3 

accurately, several times to the smallest decimal fraction. The 
feeling is indescribable ! If any one had proposed to throw me 
overboard, I don't know that I should have objected. The kind 
hands which always minister to my comfort dressed me, and 
managed to get me on deck in a fainting condition. Wrapped 
in a heavy sea-blanket and supported on either side, I walked 
the deck until the color returned to my lips. But when I 
attempted to recline in a sea-chair the sickness returned, and I 
was obliged to walk again. — It seemed that I must either walk or 
die — and thus I spent the entire day. Our second Sabbath out 
was, however, much more agreeably spent. We had church ser- 
vice in the dining saloon. Pillows piled up on the table and 
covered with a scarlet cloth served as a pulpit. The Captain 
read the service of the Church of England, my husband preached 
the sermon, and the renowned Philip Phillips and his son James 
sang, accompanied by the piano. 

At sea people are more sociable than on land. Nobody thinks 
of waiting for a formal introduction. All sorts of people are on 
board, high and low, rich and poor, cultured and ignorant, self- 
ish and generous, joyous and those bearing heavy burdens of 
sorrow. One lady, whose home was in Texas, started with her 
consumptive husband for England. He died on the steamer, 
just as they were entering New York Bay. She buried him in 
New York, and then embarked in the Egypt. This was a sad, 
sad trip for her. She returned to her friends in England, whom 
she left but two years ago to become the happy bride of her 
lover in Texas. On our homeward voyage, a poor mother 
among the steerage passengers watched anxiously by the couch 
of her dying child, and another gave birth to a sweet little baby, 
who will never be able to say, "This is my own, my native 
land." 

Although life on the ocean wave seems very monotonous to 
those afflicted with sea-sickness, yet to others it has many at- 
tractions. At night the beautiful phosphorescent lights may be 
seen, looking like sparkling diamonds on the water. Then the 
pretty rainbows in the spray; and one morning after a shower, 



4 ATLANTIC OCEAN. 

the sun shone out brightly and gave us a splendid rainbow, com- 
pletely spanning old ocean ; and one of the grandest sunsets I 
ever witnessed was on the ocean. The sun gradually slipped 
out of sight between the sky and the water, leaving its gorgeous 
robe of gold and purple floating on the ocean blue. We gazed 
in silent admiration on this grand picture from the brush of the 
Almighty. It is interesting, too, to watch the monsters of the 
deep at their uncouth gambols; dozens of whales apparently tried 
to see which could spout water the highest, and one huge fellow 
came so near the vessel that we had a good view of his immense 
back as he came up to blow. And how we would lean over the 
railing, and never tire of watching the porpoises as they leaped 
along beside the ship, a whole school of them at a time, chasing 
each other, darting hither and thither like mad creatures. And 
the dear, little, harmless, white sea-gulls followed the ship to 
feed on what was thrown out, occasionally sitting down on the 
waves to rest. 

There are many ways of amusement — reading, writing, chatting, 
singing, lounging, dreaming. A concert is given each voyage, 
by the passengers, for the benefit of the Seaman's Orphan Home 
at Liverpool ; and they are quite creditable. One day as we 
were walking on deck we had the delightful experience of being 
completely drenched by a playful wave, and we looked as meek 
as Moses, with our garments dripping with salt water. When 
one looks out upon the vast ocean, and watches the heaving and 
swelling of the waves, and thinks of the unfathomable depth of 
water, he is most solemnly impressed with the greatness and 
power of God, and the frailty and utter helplessness of man. 
We had just enough rough weather to get a taste of what a storm 
at sea would be like. The wind blew furiously ; the waves ran 
high, at times sweeping over the deck in torrents ; the rain beat 
violently ; large waves leaped over the tops of the life-boats, 
high above the deck ; the wind was so powerful that the gentle- 
men could scarcely keep their footing on deck, and the ladies 
were oblighed to content themselves in the cabin. One lady 
was blown across the deck, and two others who attempted to 



ATLANTIC OCEAN. 5 

walk were prostrated. Hats were blown overboard ; chairs 
overturned ; dishes broken, etc. As soon as it was safe for the 
ladies to go on deck, I sat with my husband at the stern of the 
vessel and watched her breast the waves as they rolled up moun- 
tain high. Sometimes the bow of the ship would be submerged 
in the waves, and it seemed that we must all go under, when up 
she would come, like a bird on the wing. A storm at sea is a 
grand sight, awfully grand ! and the appreciative nature could 
thoroughly enjoy it, if all fear of the possible results could be 
dispelled. The sight of a distant sail was always welcomed with 
delight, and the taking on of a pilot, as we approached land, 
was another diversion. It is a rule that a vessel must take on 
the first pilot she meets, to take her into the harbor. The pilot 
we took, on approaching America, had been sailing about for a 
month seeking employment. He received $460.00 for his ser- 
vices, so much a foot for the number of feet of water the vessel 
draws. He came in a pilot boat, and then was brought from 
that to our steamer in a row boat, as the sailing vessel could not 
approach very near us. It was a pretty sight to witness the signal 
of red, white and blue lights by which our vessel reported its 
arrival off Fastnett rock, on the coast of Ireland. How we 
strained our eyes to see the first faint outline of land ! 

We entered the dock at Liverpool at four o'clock a. m. on 
Wednesday, May 10. There were no sleepy-heads that morn- 
ing ; everybody was up, hurrying and bustling about, seeing to 
baggage, giving good byes and kind wishes to newly-made 
friends; confusion reigned supreme. The table stewards, bed- 
room stewards, the stewardess, the boots, in fact all the servants 
who had looked at us during the voyage, hovered about expect- 
ing a fee, and asked for it if we did not take the hint. 

The examination of luggage by the custom-house officials is a 
very trifling affair to the American tourist, unless he has cigars or 
fire-arms among his possessions. And during our entire trip, trav- 
eling in so many different countries, our baggage being examined 
twelve times, it was always done courteously, and in a very super- 
ficial manner. It is nothing worth getting nervous over. 



6 LIVERPOOL TO LONDON. 

Oh ! how good it seemed, and how safe we felt, when we once 
more stepped on terra firma. But we soon discovered that we 
had a very awkward gait, and even that reverend gentleman who 
walks so excruciatingly straight at home swayed slightly from 
side to side. For several days I walked as if trying to balance 
myself, and often thought the floor was moving up and down as 
on shipboard. 

As we had a few hours to spend in Liverpool before taking 
the train for London, we availed ourselves of the opportunity to 
visit St. George's Hall. It is a grand building, four hundred 
and twenty feet long, and ornamented with fifteen magnificent 
Corinthian columns forty-five feet high ; and the massiveness of 
the structure is greatly enhanced by two colossal stone lions 
lying at the foot of the steps by which it is approached, and 
also the equestrian bronze statues of Prince Albert and Queen 
Victoria. The interior of the hall is very fine, with beautifully 
gilded ceiling. It is tastefully ornamented with sculpture, and 
contains a very large pipe organ. It is is used for public gath- 
erings, musical entertainments, etc. 

We obtained a lunch at the Northwestern Hotel, and ate with 
a relish the largest and most delicious mutton chops we had ever 
tasted. 

We left Liverpool at eleven o'clock a. m., in company with 
Philip Phillips and family, and dear Mrs. Pritchard, whom we 
learned to know and love on the ocean, on a fast express train 
over the Northwestern Railway, and reached London about four 
p. m., a distance of two hundred and ten miles. 

The English railway cars are much smaller than our American 
cars, and are divided into several apartments, each seating eight 
persons, and occasionally ten. Four ride forward and four 
backward. The cars are entered from the side, and the win- 
dows form the upper half of the doors. The most desirable seats 
are, of course, near the windows, where one can lower or raise 
them at pleasure, and obtain a good view <3f the scenery. There 
are first, second and third class cars, but they have no fire, water 
nor conveniences. Baggage is not checked, so that it necessitates 



LIVERPOOL TO LONDON. 7 

a person looking after his luggage very closely, lest it be taken 
on too far, or not far enough. Valises, satchels, etc., may be 
taken into the car free, and placed under the seat or in the rack. 
As our luggage consisted of two valises, it mattered little to us 
whether they had a check system or not. The guard, or con- 
ductor, as we would say, has no means of passing through the 
train, but is obliged to walk on a narrow platform attached to 
the outside of the cars, and hold on to an iron railing. He is 
thus exposed to heat and cold, sun and rain. The engineer and 
fireman have also no protection in the majority of cases. 

The railway stations, however, all over Europe, are much 
superior to those in America. Some are immense structures, 
made entirely of glass and iron, with first, second and third 
class waiting rooms. Others are massive buildings of stone, pre- 
senting a fine architectural appearance ; and the Swiss depots 
are perfect marvels of taste, with their display of wood-carving. 
The first-class waiting rooms are often carpeted with Brussels, 
and have a cheerful fire in the grate, hearth rugs, easy chairs, 
etc., which gives the traveler such a home-like feeling, while he 
is waiting for trains. And I have seen waiting rooms on the 
Continent decorated with marble statues, and the walls adorned 
with large oil paintings. I have a distinct recollection of a 
waiting room in a station at Munich, the walls of which are imi- 
tation of different colored marble, and so perfect is the repre- 
sentation, that not until we had tested them in various ways 
could we believe that they were not marble. The furnishing, 
too, seejned complete ; marble centre table, handsome garnet 
rep lambrequins, cane-seated chairs, and here and there garnet 
plush circular sofas. 

The ride from Liverpool to London was simply charming ! 
Every foot of ground seemed to be under the most careful culti- 
vation. The lovely green fields dotted with daisies and butter- 
cups, were such a sweet relief to our eyes that had been accus- 
tomed to beholding nothing but water for so many days. Not 
a stick, stone or stump was to be seen. Beautiful green hedges 
take the place of fences. Even the railways are bordered with 



8 ENGLISH CHANNEL. 

them. No pedestrians are allowed on the railway track, and no 
carriage drives cross the track; but in all cases of intersection, 
a bridge is built over the track, or the track bridges over the car- 
riage and footway — thus preventing the many accidents com- 
mon in America. 

The buildings in England are all of stone or brick. The 
scenery during the whole journey seemed like one grand pano- 
rama. Bridges over small streams are of white stone, and some 
of them encircled with English ivy, making such picturesque 
little views. 

When we reached London, we took a hansom, (a small two- 
wheeled vehicle, with an elevated driver's seat behind ; two 
wooden half-doors in front shut you in, and a dashboard encir- 
cling the hind parts of the horse, prevents the mud from flying in 
one's face), to Mr. Burr's private boarding house, No. n Queen 
Square. 

I will not tell you now what we saw and learned in London ; 
but if you will follow us in our trip over the Continent, we will 
bring you back to London, and tell you what we saw in the two 
weeks we spent there, and also in other parts of England and 
Scotland. 

At New Haven we took a steamer across the British Channel 
to Dieppe ; were six hours and a half on the water. The short- 
est route across the Channel, from Dover to Calais, only occupies 
an hour and a quarter; but we had read and heard so many un- 
pleasant reports about that passage, that we decided to take a 
route where "wash-bowls'." would not be brought into requisi- 
tion. Old Neptune failed to make any impression on us. 



CHAPTER II. 

Arriving at Paris, we had a strange experience with the 
Frenchmen at the depot, but finally succeeded in getting a cab 
to take us to Mr. J. Eppler's, No. 9, Boulevarde Malesherbes, to 
whom Rev. Dr. Hamma directed us. These French cab-drivers 
always expect pour boire, that is, a few cents with which to buy 
drink, in addition to their regular fare ; and if you do not give 
it them they get fearfully angry, and gesture and talk all over. 

Mr. Eppler assisted us to find a hotel, centrally located, with 
comfortable apartments, where English is spoken. The name 
of the hotel is American Family Home, No. 7, 9, and 11 Rue 
de la Bienfaisance, near the Boulevarde Malesherbes. It is a 
very large building, and we lost our way several times, until we 
became accustomed to its labyrinth of halls. The floors are of 
dark oiled wood, with the carpets laid on loose. We were 
struck with the diminutiveness of our wash pitcher, it being 
only four inches higher than the bowl. Upon inquiry, we found 
that this was the ordinary size used by the Parisians. 

If one had nothing else to judge from, he might suppose them 
not a very cleanly class of people. But indeed, it is quite the 
contrary. To my mind, Paris excels all other European cities 
in cleanliness. The streets are immaculate, its perfect system of 
sewerage wonderful, and its being built up with lofty structures 
of white limestone, of the finest architecture, gives it a bright, 
clean, cheery aspect ; such a pleasant change from smoky, foggy 
London. 

Here we entered upon a style of taking our meals essentially 
different from the habits of our own country. But we afterwards 
discovered that the same custom prevails all over the Continent, 
viz., dejeuner (a light breakfast consisting of a French roll and 
a cup of coffee), which may be had any time after half-past eight 

(9) 



IO PARIS. 

in the morning; at twelve comes lunch, the regular dejeuner a 
la fourchette; and between five and six o'clock comes table 
d'hote, a dinner of eleven or twelve courses, finishing up with 
delicious fruits, especially in Italy. If one eats everything he is 
offered, he will be sure to have enough. 

Wine is as freely used here as water is in America. I once 
counted the wine bottles on the table and found there were four- 
teen, besides all the private bottles. We had to call for water, 
as there was none on the table. The waiters looked at us in 
astonishment. It takes fully an hour to go through all the cere- 
monies of this extensive dinner; so one day in Brussels, coming 
in a little late, we thought it would be a kindness to the waiters, 
and also to ourselves, not to take all the courses from beginning 
to end, but select from the bill of fare what we preferred. We 
did so ; and when we came to pay our bill found that they had 
charged us two francs (forty cents) apiece more than if we had 
allowed the waiters to bring us ten courses, ten clean plates, 
and ten clean knives and forks ! After that experience we per- 
mitted waiters to make themselves all the trouble they desired. 
But I must not omit to tell you what a feast of strawberries we 
had during our trip. We began to have them about the middle 
of May in Paris, and continued to have them in different coun- 
tries until the last of August, when we bid them good-bye in 
Scotland. 

Paris! The very name has a charm, but one cannot imagine 
its beauties and attractions. They must be seen to be realized. 
The boulevards, of which we have heard so much, are streets 
ninety-nine feet wide, with an addition of thirty-five feet of 
pavement on either side. They are macadamized, and are 
flanked with beautiful shade trees. These great thoroughfares, 
some sixty in number, are universally admitted to excel all 
other cities in the grandeur of their architecture, the attract- 
iveness of their shops, and the briskness of their traffic. The 
vehicles which traverse these boulevards daily, from the superb 
private equipage to the ponderous wagon, are more than twenty- 
five thousand. The population of Paris is two millions. Late 



PARIS. I I 

in the afternoon on the day of our arrival we took a walk to the 
Place de la Concorde, situated between the Garden of the Tuil- 
eriesand the Champs Elysees, where stands the wonderful obelisk 
of Luxor, with a picturesque fountain on either side. This obe- 
lisk is a single block of reddish granite, covered with hieroglyph- 
ics, from the quarries of Syene, in Upper Egypt. It is seventy- 
six feet in height, and weighs two hundred and forty tons. The 
pedestal of Breton granite is thirteen feet high, and is also a 
single block. The steps raise it three and one-half feet above 
the ground. It was presented to Louis Philippe by the Pasha of 
Egypt, and it cost four hundred thousand dollars to move and 
erect it. It formerly stood in front of the Temple of Thebes, 
fifteen hundred years before Christ. This delightful Place de la 
Concorde, to which crowds of visitors are attracted by the obe- 
lisk and the sparkling fountains, could tell of many a dark his- 
toric deed if it could speak. It was here, during the French 
Revolution in 1793, that the 'guillotine, a horrid machine used 
for beheading people, was set up to execute Louis XVI.; and 
soon after his wife, Marie Antoinette, was subjected to the same 
cruel fate. 

The French people kept this infamous instrument warm with 
the blood of human beings until its victims numbered more than 
two thousand eight hundred persons. Here it was, during the 
celebration of the marriage of Louis XVI. and Marie Antionette, 
that the accidental discharge of some rockets caused a panic, 
and twelve hundred people were trampled to death. And in 
1 87 1, during the Franco-Prussian war, this square was literally 
soaked with the blood of the slain. As we turned our steps 
toward our hotel, we could not but think, what a happy trans- 
formation ! These beautiful fountains shooting up their crystal 
streams seem to be trying to wash away all traces of the bloody 
scenes enacted here. 

The dress of the French ladies we met on the street appeared 
to be faultless, from the nicely-fitting glove to the dainty boot, 
although I cannot indorse the French heel. As a natural con- 
sequence, the ladies of this city, in which all our fashions origi- 



1 2 PARIS. 

nate, have exquisite taste. If they put a spray of blossoms or 
an ostrich tip on a bonnet, tie a bow, or drape an overskirt, it 
at once possesses the charm of gracefulness. A French milliner 
has probably more grace in the tips of her fingers, than in her 
heart. 

When we saw Paris by gas-light, we fully realized that we 
were in the "gay capital.'' Yes, evening is the time to see the 
gayety of Paris. The innumerable gas jets and electric lights 
make the city almost as light as day ; the fashionable people in 
luxuriant attire are promenading; the vast number of cafes are 
brilliant and attractive; and outside, on the pavement, seated at 
small tables, are crowds of ladies and gentlemen sipping their 
favorite beverage from their dainty wine-glasses; and the dis- 
play in the shop windows exceeds anything I ever saw elsewhere. 
The artistic taste in the arrangement of articles is wonderful ! 
The jeweler's French plate glass windows, with rows of gas 
jets on the outside as well as inside, flashing and sparkling with 
diamonds, gold, silver and precious stones, attract you like a 
magnet — men just as well as women. Open-air concerts, enter- 
tainments of all sorts, to suit the different classes of people, 
operas, balls and games, serve to while away the time ; and this 
gayety is kept up half the night, as they do their sleeping in the 
morning. 

One day, passing through the magnificent arcades in the Rue 
de Rivoli, its shop windows rich with splendor, we at length 
reached the Louvre, that world-renowned museum, a perfect 
gem of architecture, and. covering a space of forty acres. It is a 
vast palace in the form of a square, with an open court in the 
centre, thus giving a good light to all parts of the building. As 
the admission is free, these halls are thronged with visitors daily; 
and you can form some idea of the number, when I tell you that 
more than twenty thousand dollars per annum is received for 
depositing canes and umbrellas at the door, for which you pay a 
penny or two. People are not allowed to take canes, umbrellas, 
etc., into any picture gallery in Europe, as some would be 
thoughtless enough to use them for pointers. 



PARIS. 



*3 



This museum is a perfect wilderness of pictures, statuary, curi- 
osities, relics from all parts of Europe and Egypt and Assyria. 
The Gallery de Apollon is the most beautiful hall in the Louvre, 
and is considered one of the finest in the world. It is two hun- 
dred and ten feet long. The ceiling paintings are very fine, and 
around the edge of the ceiling is the most beautiful statuary 
standing out in high relief. There are handsome inlaid tables 
and other furniture, dating from the time of Louis XIV. Glass 
cases in the centre contain objects of art, rare gems, etc. The 
collection of enamels is the most extensive and valuable in the 
world. One room of French porcelain consists chiefly of dishes 
adorned with snakes, frogs, fish, lizards, plants and flowers 
moulded from nature, and the coloring perfect, standing out 
life-like. Just fancy at one of your family gatherings, having a 
roast turkey on a platter of this description, and as the turkey 
diminished you would discover a huge snake coiled up in the bot- 
tom, with his head raised and tongue extended. The Egyptian 
sphynxes, sarcophagi, and the immense Assyrian winged bulls, 
four in number, are ponderous. It seems almost impossible that 
they were brought all the way from Africa and Asia; yet when 
we think of it, many seeming impossibilities are overcome by 
mechanical skill. 

We walked through room after room of statuary, and finally 
found the one piece of sculpture of all others that we had been 
looking for — the celebrated Venus of Milo. The face is very 
handsome, delicately carved and full of expression ; but both 
arms are broken off, and it is otherwise mutilated. In passing 
through the almost endless number of picture galleries, said to 
contain seven miles of pictures, we found so many to admire 
that we will not attempt to mention those which pleased us most : 
suffice it to say, that we saw many, many masterly productions by 
Rubens, Raphael, Titian, Vandyke, Rembrandt, Paul Veronese, 
Albert Diirer, Claude Lorraine, Murillo, Holbein, Leonardo de 
Vinci, Quentin Massys, and many others. 

The marine and ethnographical departments are very exten- 
sive, instructive and interesting. 



14 PARIS. 

Although we spent three days in this museum, continually 
feasting our eyes on things ancient, new, curious, beautiful and 
interesting, yet we felt that it would take as many months to be- 
come familiar with it all. 

The Garden of the Tuileries being in close proximity to the 
Louvre, we upon one occasion took it in on our way home. It 
is seven hundred and eighty yards in length, and three hundred 
and forty- seven yards in breadth. On the west it is bounded by 
a shady grove of lofty trees. There are beautiful spacious walks 
running in all directions, lovely flower-beds, fountains, statuary, 
inviting green grass plats, with rustic seats here and there, and 
two long rows of orange trees in tubs, some of them four hun- 
dred years old. This happened to be a holiday, and so the garden 
was crowded with pleasure-seekers, playing all sorts of games, 
making a gay, festive scene. 

On Sabbath we attended services in the morning at the 
Madeleine. The music was very fine, but the Catholic perform- 
ances seemed like mockery to us. This is considered one of the 
grandest of the modern churches in Paris. It is built in imita- 
tion of a Greek temple. It is three hundred and fifty-four feet 
long and one hundred and forty-one feet wide, and is surrounded 
by fifty-two magnificent Corinthian columns, each seventeen 
feet in circumference. The tympanum of the facade contains a 
high relief in marble, representing Christ as the Judge of the 
world. The figures are all colossal. On the right of the Saviour 
are the elect and the Angel of Salvation, and on his left the Angel 
of Justice and the damned, with Mary Magdalene interceding 
for them. 

This church is built exclusively of stone, and is entirely desti- 
tute of windows, the light being introduced through three dome- 
shaped sections in the ceiling. It is approached by a flight of 
twenty-eight marble steps, extending across the whole front of 
the structure. The interior is one large hall, with three chapels 
on either side, each containing a marble statue of its patron 
saint. It is gorgeous with frescoes, gildings, carvings, and 
statues. The floor and walls are of solid, polished marble, and 



PARIS. 15 

the high altar consists of an elegant group of statuary, repre- 
senting Mary Magdalene being borne into Paradise by two 
angels. 

In the evening Mr. Culler went to the Wesleyan chapel. 
After the services, he with several others was invited to drink a 
cup of tea with the minister. The few Protestant clergymen in 
this city have up-hill work. The Sabbath is not regarded except 
by religious people. We saw men doing all sorts of work — 
masons and carpenters as busy as on other days; circuses, thea- 
tres, and many places of business open ; heavily-loaded carts 
continuously passing in the streets ; many enjoying it as a gala 
day; military companies drilling and parading; women selling 
flowers on the street corners; others sewing, patching and darn- 
ing, as though the Lord had not called upon them to rest on this 
His holy day. By invitation we spent part of a day with Mr. 
Eppler's family. Their residence is just outside the city walls, 
on a part of what used to be Louis Philippe's park, now divided 
up into many grand residences. This we found to be a lovely 
home, elegantly furnished and adorned with pictures and orna- 
ments, but only one rocking-chair! and that a very peculiar one. 
European people know nothing of the comforts of a rocking- 
chair. I saw but two during our entire trip. They have hand- 
some, upholstered easy-chairs in almost every shape and style, 
but no rockers. The yard was most delightful ! — filled with 
flower-beds and rare trees, the loveliest roses of all tints, pansies 
of immense size, daisies, forget-me-nots, syringas in rich pro- 
fusion. The training of the fruit-bearing trees was both novel 
and interesting to us; apple trees with but two branches run- 
ning in opposite directions, were tied to a wire about a foot 
from the ground; they were trimmed when very young, and 
bent into the desired shape. Cherry, peach and pear trees were 
trained up against stone walls like grape vines. They say the 
fruit grows much larger and more abundant in this manner. I 
counted the pears on a small bush of this kind, about five feet 
long and three feet high, and found sixty-five little, green, 
healthy pears. Several ladies called while we were there, and 



1 6 PARIS. 

Mr. Eppler saluted them with a kiss on either cheek, which 
seems to be the French style. 

We went to see the Notre Dame cathedral. This magnificent 
Gothic structure was founded in 1163; but has been much 
altered. The external architecture is exceedingly beautiful. It 
has two great square towers in front, over two hundred feet 
high/ with a superb stained-glass rose-window, thirty-six feet in 
diameter, between them ; and the three portals, richly orna- 
mented with sculpture, are fine specimens of early Gothic work- 
manship. The interior consists of a nave and double aisles, 
crossed by a transept. The vaulted arches more than a hundred 
feet high, supported by seventy-five pillars, give one a good 
idea of the style of all Gothic cathedrals. A fine organ with five 
thousand two hundred and forty-six pipes, and eighty-six stops, 
is over the entrance door. The choir and sanctuary are sep- 
arated from the nave by ornamental railings. On the right side 
of the nave are small chapels with confessional boxes in them, 
where the people, on bended knees, confess their sins to the 
priest. We saw r them so frequently afterwards, that we became 
quite familiar with the "modus operandi." The priest shuts 
himself in the confessional box, sits down, rests his head on his 
hand, with his ear close to a little side window. The sinner 
kneels without, on a step, and through the window confesses his 
sin in the ear of the priest. Poor deluded mortals ! Why do 
they not go to "the great high priest, that is passed into the 
heavens, Jesus the Son of God," who will freely and fully for- 
give all their sins if they but ask him. 

One chapel was tastefully decorated with blooming plants and 
cut flowers, preparatory to some special service which was to 
take place. This church is four hundred and seventeen feet 
long, and one hundred and fifty-six feet wide. Pere Hyacinthe 
used to pour forth his eloquence in this sanctuary. 

At the rear of this edifice is a small building called the 
Morgue, where people who have been drowned in the river 
Seine, or have been found dead anywhere in the city, are left 
for recognition ; and if not claimed in three days, the city pro- 



PARIS. I 7 

vides a burial. Here we saw a woman with flowing raven locks, 
which had evidently been drenched in the river, with a face ex- 
pressive of vice and degradation; and a man in his working 
dress, blue blouse and cap, with soiled hands, looking as though 
he had suddenly stopped work. Many of the lower classes were 
passing in and out. 

We next visited the Pantheon, a church of imposing dimen- 
sions; its form that of a Greek cross. The interior is very 
beautiful, decorated with paintings and other works of art of a 
national and historic character. It is three hundred and sixty- 
nine feet long, and two hundred and seventy-six feet wide ; sur- 
mounted by a dome two hundred and seventy-two feet high. 
We ascended to the top of the lantern, above the dome, where 
we had a fine view of the city. We also descended to the 
vaults or crypts beneath the building, which are very extensive, 
and so dark that it is necessary for the guide to light the way 
with a lantern. Here we saw two sarcophagi, erected as monu- 
ments to Voltaire and Rousseau; but the remains of both of 
these philosophers have been removed from these coffins. Sev- 
eral eminent men art buried here. In one part of these vaults 
a remarkably loud echo can be heard. We with several other 
persons stood in a row against the wall ; the guide struck the 
wall with his tobacco box, and it sounded like the discharge of 
a cannon. When hands were clapped, it sounded like peals of 
thunder ; and it was very funny when he talked, to hear the 
echo follow him up so distinctly and quickly. 

From here we went to the "Jardindes Plantes" (garden of 
plants), covering an area of seventy-five acres. The grounds 
are handsomely laid out, including a very fine Botanical garden, 
to which professors and medical students resort ; a Zoological 
garden, containing boa-constrictors, crocodiles, alligators, bears, 
lions, tigers, monkeys, birds innumerable, and in fact I suppose 
nearly all the animals in existence are represented ; also galleries 
of botany, mineralogy and zoology, and laboratories for lectures. 
Winding walks bordered with shrubs and flowers led us to new 
attractions whichever way we turned ; and finally, foot-sore and 
' 2 



1 8 PARIS. 

weary, we went down to the river Seine, which flows near by. and 
took a short ride of three miles, in a swift little steamboat. 
There are swimming-schools, bath-houses, and long houses where 
the poorer classes go to earn their daily bread by washing, built 
out in the river. 

The Champs Elysees is the most fashionable promenade in 
Paris. One end of this magnificent avenue widens out into a 
park, seven hundred and fifty yards long and four hundred yards 
wide, joining the Place de la Concorde. This park is a favorite 
resort for Parisians in the evening, when it is brilliantly illumi- 
nated. And certainly it is a gay spectacle ! There are elegant 
cafes, with crowds of richly-dressed people sitting in. front, 
watching the splendid turnouts, liveried coachmen and prancing 
horses, as they pass hither and thither along the broad avenue; 
bands of music filling the air with sweetest strains; Chinese 
lanterns suspended from the trees; platforms filled with dancers; 
Punch and Judy shows ; revolving swings with wooden horses 
for children to ride, and games of chance and amusement, while 
the air is laden with perfume from the many bright flower-beds. 
One sunny, glorious morning, we took a walk the entire length 
of the Champs Elysees, from the Place de la Concorde down the 
broad avenue flanked with handsome buildings, a distance of 
nearly a mile and a half. We passed the Palais de 1' Industrie, 
erected in 1855, for the first great Exhibition of Paris. This 
grand avenue terminates at the Place de l'Etoile, on the slight 
eminence of which rises the Arc de Triomphe, the largest tri- 
umphal arch in the world; begun by Napoleon I. in 1806, but 
not completed until thirty years afterwards. 

This superb monument, built to commemorate the victories of 
the French, is in the form of a rectangle, and rises to the lofty 
height of one hundred and sixty feet, and is one hundred and 
forty-six feet wide and seventy-two feet thick. The great cen- 
tral arch is sixty-seven feet high and forty-six feet wide, and is 
intersected by a transverse arch which forms an entrance through 
this splendid structure, which cost more than two million dol- 
lars. The exterior is adorned with richly-carved groups, repre- 



PARIS. 19 

senting battle scenes, and on the walls of the interior are the 
names of French generals and victories won, cut in the solid 
masonry. We were not satisfied until we had climbed to the 
top by a spiral staircase of two hundred and sixty-one steps. 
This was rather fatiguing; but what a rare treat when we gained 
the summit ! There were those twelve grand, broad avenues 
radiating from that centre like the spokes of a wheel, stretching 
out into the distance, presenting a view which cannot be ob- 
tained from any other point of observation. While standing 
there, we thought of the armies and processions that had passed 
under this arch from time to time. The German army passed 
triumphantly through it in 1871. 

In the afternoon, strange as it may seem, we took a trip 
through the sewers. Paris is said to have better drainage than 
any other city in the world. There were about two hundred 
ladies and gentlemen in the party. Of course we dressed very 
warmly, to protect ourselves against the cold and dampness. 
With our permit from the Prefet de la Seine in hand, we repaired 
to an iron trap-door in the pavement, near the Madeleine. Pre- 
pared to put our handkerchiefs to our noses at the first offensive 
odor, we descended a long flight of stone steps, which terminated 
in a massive stone tunnel, with great iron pipes overhead by 
which the city is supplied with pure water; also telegraph wires, 
enclosed in lead pipes. These channels are of ample dimen- 
sions, the smallest being four by seven feet, and the largest six- 
teen by eighteen feet, all constructed of solid masonry, and 
lighted with lamps. They communicate with the streets of the 
city above by means of iron ladders ; and the names of the 
streets are posted along the walls, so one knows just what part or 
the city he is beneath. We could discover no unpleasant odor ; 
and, upon inquiry, found that these channels are frequently 
dragged with a vertical iron gate or sort of comb, and the sedi- 
ment conveyed away in barges, to be used for fertilizing the 
soil. Visitors are only allowed to enter immediately after this 
cleansing process. The total length of the principal sewers of 
Paris is six hundred and ten miles, and they are kept so sweet 



20 PARIS. 

and clean that a lady may wear a silk or satin dress to explore 
them without fear of pollution. And what an admirable means 
of conducting troops from one part of the city to another in 
case of war ! 

Well, we rode in these sewers for about an hour, part of the 
time in a boat drawn through the water by six men, who walked 
on narrow stone sidewalks, three on either side; and part of the 
time in a car, under the management of five men, two to pull, 
two to push, and the other on the car to use the brake. There 
was quite a long line of cars, but disconnected. Away we went, 
our men-horses running at full speed, creating quite a breeze, 
and giving zest and excitement to the excursion. It was a novel 
and wonderful experience. 

When we ascended to the upper regions and again beheld the 
light of day, it was almost unbearable at first. We looked about 
us, and found we were a long, long way from home ; so we pro- 
cured seats on top of an omnibus — and by the way, this is the 
most successful way to see Paris; for many of the private resi- 
dences are so shut in by high stone walls, that unless one takes 
an elevated position he is wholly ignorant of the charm of wealth 
and grandeur within. The very fragrance of the flowers with 
which the lawns are ornamented cannot escape. But perched 
upon an omnibus one may take in everything, from the rich 
heavy crimson curtains, half-opened, revealing creamy waves of 
lace, to the bare sombre basements where a tin reflector steals 
from the street a few rays of sunshine, and pale little faces peer 
out, which put one in mind of the growth of geranium leaves 
that have been excluded from the sun, with their long, slender, 
sickly stalks. 

The church of St. Augustine is built in a modernized Roman- 
esque style, and is very large and handsome. The Palais Royal 
occupies a whole square, and is just opposite to the Louvre. It 
is very showy and attractive, as the ground floor is mostly taken 
up with jewelry shops. These shops are of two kinds, those 
which contain the real, pure gold and precious stones, and those 
containing the imitation. Of course the latter looks equally as 



PARIS. 2 1 

good, to the unpracticed eye, as the former, and many an inex- 
perienced person might be " taken in " were it not a law that a 
sign, announcing the fact that they are imitation, shall always 
be displayed. Here may be seen imitation Roman and Floren- 
tine mosaics made out of wax, imitation diamonds made of 
polished rock-crystal, mock coral, painted jewelry which looks 
like inlaid stones of different colors, etc. Wouldn't this be a 
feast for many of our American girls, who delight in wearing 
shoddy jewelry ? 

Our next sight was the Palace of Luxembourg. This is a 
grand edifice externally, and a part of the interior is devoted to 
the Musee de Luxembourg, which contains a choice collection 
of paintings, drawings and sculptures by modern artists. I was 
particularly struck with Rosa Bonheur's " Oxen Ploughing," 
and an oil painting by Leyendecker, of three birds hung up by 
a string, as natural as could be. It scarcely seemed possible that 
it could be a picture. The statue of Psyche interested me be- 
cause I have a picture of her in my parlor at home ; and my 
sympathies were immediately aroused for the " Wounded Dog" 
in bronze, so true was it to nature. The gardens surrounding 
the palace are beautified with flowers, fountains and statuary. 

From this place we took a cab to the Hotel des Invalides. This 
is an institution for disabled soldiers, and is an immense build- 
ing with a chapel for the soldiers to worship in ; and strangely 
appropriate seems the decoration of this chapel with all of the 
flags captured by the French in their many battles. There are a 
number of rooms in this institution filled with warriors made of 
wood, and some of wax, dressed in full uniform, from every 
country in the world. Our North American Indian had a brace- 
let made of human double-teeth strung on a string. The west 
wing of the building contains an interesting collection of four 
thousand specimens of weapons of war, suits of armor of the 
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, etc. We also peeped into 
the culinary department. The tomb of Napoleon is a recent 
addition to the building. Its dome, which is lofty and gilded, 
is conspicuous from all parts of the city. The vault or crypt is 



2 2 VERSAILLES. 

directly under the dome, and the same shape; it is thirty-six 
feet in diameter. You look down over a white marble railing, 
into the crypt, in which is the reddish-brown marble sarcophagus 
of Napoleon the first. His remains were brought here by Prince 
Joinville from St. Helena in 1840. On the floor of the crypt, 
encircling the sarcophagus, is a beautiful mosaic wreath of 
laurels, wrought of green marble, or serpentine, as it is called. 
Around the walls of the crypt stand twelve colossal statues of 
pure white marble, facing the tomb, representing victories. They 
look as though they might be guardian angels. The light falling 
through the handsome stained-glass windows into the crypt, pro- 
duces a delicate violet tint, giving it a strange and softened 
beauty. The high altar, back of the crypt, is a gilded canopy 
supported by four columns of mottled marble, twisted in the 
most graceful manner. Beneath the canopy is a golden cross 
on which is the crucified Redeemer. Over the entrance to the 
crypt is the following extract from the Emperor's will : " I desire 
that my ashes may repose on the banks of the Seine, in the 
midst of the French people, whom I have ever loved." 

We could not think of leaving Paris without visiting Ver- 
sailles, the most beautiful and interesting of all its environs. So, 
in company with Mr. and Mrs. Gibb, of Southport, England, 
most companionable people, we made this little excursion of 
about twelve miles by rail. We approached the palace, which 
is the centre of attraction in this place, through the park, which 
is simply charming ! Lovely shaded avenues run in all direc- 
tions, the tall graceful trees meeting overhead. Upon a nearer 
approach, there are pretty green terraces (stone walls completely 
covered with vines, or trees trimmed so as to look like vines), 
in the shape of a half circle. On the upper terrace is a row of 
evergreen trees trimmed in the shape of cones, reminding every 
scholar of the figures in his geometry. Then a grand flight of 
stone steps leads to the large gravel space in front of the palace. 
Immediately below the terraces are two large, exquisitely beauti- 
tiful fountains, and tastefully-arranged flower-beds, with their 
rich scarlet, pink and white blossoms, setting off to good ad- 



VERSAILLES. 23 

vantage the closely-shaven lawn. I often think of these beauti- 
ful pleasure grounds, and am unable to decide in my own mind 
which is the most charming spot, this, or the Chatsworth estate 
in England. 

There seems to be no end to the fountains, artificial lakes, 
statuary, pebbly walks, and other attractions. But the fitting 
up of these grounds cost the treasury of Louis XIV. the enor- 
mous sum of two million dollars, and the poor people of France 
were heavily taxed that this sovereign might have every foolish 
whim and fancy gratified. The palace is a majestic pile of im- 
mense proportions. The facade towards the park is a quarter of 
a mile in length. In one part of the palace is the royal chapel, 
which is a perfect gem of beauty, with its handsome mosaic 
pavement, elegant Corinthian columns, elaborate paintings 
illustrating Bible scenes, statuary, bas-reliefs, and magnificent 
high altar }j rich with different-colored marbles. A.nd this chapel 
is no small affair ; it is one hundred and fourteen feet long and 
sixty feet wide. Louis XVI. and Marie Antoinette were married 
herein 1770. There is also a theatre of great splendor in this 
palace, brilliant with mirrors, chandeliers, scarlet, purple and 
gold, richly ornamented boxes, etc., and a large ball-room, two 
hundred and forty feet long, with seventeen massive arched win- 
dows, commanding an extended view of the lovely park already 
described. The opposite wall is a mass of elegant mirrors, the 
ceiling one grand battle scene, painted in glowing colors, and 
the floor dark, oiled wood, so shiny and sleek that none but an 
agile Frenchman dare tread it with anything like composure. 
We passed through gallery after gallery filled with rich paintings 
by distinguished artists, most of them portraying the victories of 
the French, until the eye became wearied, and the brilliant 
tints, form and expression ceased to attract, and we were glad 
of the change when the guide took us through the private apart- 
ments of Louis XIII., Louis XIV., Louis XV., Louis XVI., and 
those of the wife of the latter, Marie Antoinette. . There are 
several of these gorgeous rooms belonging to each. Some have 
furniture upholstered in pale blue satin, others light green, 



24 VERSAILLES. 

orange, and a variety of deep as well as delicate shades. The 
window curtains are of satin and silk. The rooms fitted up for 
Queen Victoria when she visited Paris are truly royal. The 
walls and ceiling of the bedroom are in gilt ; gold bedstead 
with a canopy over it, silk bed-spread, rose-color and gilt up- 
holstered furniture, and everything else to correspond. In 
nearly all these apartments were handsome clocks made by 
Louis XIV. One looks like a bouquet of gilt flowers. This 
sovereign seemed to have a mania for clocks. 



CHAPTER III. 

After a most delightful stay of ten days we left Paris for 
Geneva, accompanied by Miss Hortense Camp, a niece of Philip 
Phillips. Eight of us rode all night in one of the car apartments, 
with about twenty-five valises all told, little and big, and were 
so crowded that we could scarcely move our feet. We passed 
through Dijon and Macon, and arrived at Geneva, Switzerland, 
about ten o'clock the next morning. After the first peep of day 
the scenery was delightful. Fleecy clouds floated about half-way 
up the sides of the Jura mountains, and at the foot the Rhone 
river wound in and out, following the mountain chain. Charm- 
ing bits of landscape here and there effectually opened our 
drooping eyelids and freshened us up for the day. 

Geneva, with its population of about 50,000, is the largest and 
wealthiest town in Switzerland. It is prettily situated at the 
south end of Lake Geneva, and is built in quite a modern style. 
It has some broad streets flanked with handsome buildings, and 
also some narrow crooked ones. This was the birth-place of 
Rousseau; and Calvin, second to none but Luther in the great 
work of the Reformation, resided here twenty-eight years, and 
his humble cottage is still pointed out to tourists. We walked 
down to the jetee or pier, which is adorned with shade-trees and 
rustic seats, and there had our first view of the Alps. With the 
aid of an opera-glass we could clearly distinguish Mont Blanc, 
with its snowy peaks, glistening in the sunlight, looking like 
white thunder-clouds in the distance. 

The monument of Duke Charles II. of Brunswick, who willed 
four million dollars to this city, is lavishly adorned. It is 
wrought of different-colored marbles, in the form of a six-sided 
pyramid. On the top is an equestrian statue of the duke in 
bronze, and in the interior is also a reclining figure of the duke. 

• (25) 



26 GENEVA. 

The reliefs, pillars, and the entire ornamentation, are exquisite in 
design. 

As Geneva is world-renowned for its manufacture of jewelry 
and watches, of course we made it a point to explore some of 
these establishments, and in none of the shops did we find plated 
jewelry. Everything is 18 carats fine. Five thousand people 
are daily employed in this business. In the Jardin du Lac (gar- 
den of the lake), we listened to a very fine orchestral concert, 
given by thirty performers. There were five bass viols, violins, 
flutes, brass horns, hautboys, and kettle-drums. The compo- 
sitions were by Strauss, Faust, and other masters. The gardens 
were crowded with music-loving people, yet perfect order pre- 
vailed everywhere. There were two large music-boxes at our 
hotel, which sharpened our desire to see more of these sweetest 
of all musical instruments. So we went to the manufactory, 
where we saw musical vases, fruit dishes, cake baskets, Swiss 
cottages, clocks, ink-stands, bears — in fact, everything in the 
shop was converted into a music-box. I became wearied with 
standing so long, and dropped into a chair, when lo ! it broke 
forth in such sweet musical strains that I immediately rose to my 
feet, when it suddenly ceased its mirthful tune, and could not 
be induced to proceed until I was re-seated. The proprietor 
wound up what appeared to be a secretary or book-case, and it 
at once began to play in exact imitation of a pipe organ accom- 
panied by a full orchestra. It would play twenty pieces of 
classical music. Why does not every rich man who has any 
music in his soul, but none in his voice, and no one in his home 
to make any, purchase an instrument of this kind, that will pro- 
duce the most difficult and soul-enchanting strains by simply 
winding it up? I could not refrain from buying a beautiful 
fruit-dish with a Swiss scene in the interior exquisitely painted 
in oil, with money presented to me by the ladies of our congre- 
gation in Newton, Iowa. When I pass fruit to my friends it 
plays lively little waltzes, but modestly stops when placed upon 
the table. 

One of the sights of Geneva is the junction of the Rhone and 



GENEVA TO CHAMOUNV. 27 

Arve rivers. The Rhone is a clear, swift-flowing river, emerging 
from the lake, and the Arve is a sluggish, dirty stream coming 
from the glaciers at Chamouny. We did not experiment, but 
were told that where they flow together, a person can put one 
hand in the tepid water of the Rhone, and the other in the icy- 
cold Arve, and that they flow in the same channel for some dis- 
tance before they mingle. We attended services in the Epis- 
copal church, which is small but neat, and was well filled with 
devout worshipers. 

Bright and early Monday morning, we started on a fifty-four 
mile drive to Chamouny, in a diligence (a vehicle having two 
stories, the top one covered with canvas; a peculiar looking 
thing drawn by four horses). We paid extra and obtained a 
seat in the upper story, thus having a charming view of the 
grand mountain scenery as we passed along. We were quite a 
lively company, twenty persons in all, and were soon chatting as 
gayly to each other as though we were friends of long standing. 
They changed horses frequently, so as to drive on a keen trot all 
the way, requiring twenty-four horses to take us through. All 
teams on the street, everybody and everything, are required by 
law to make clear the way for the diligence all the distance from 
Geneva to Chamouny. It was too funny to see them scamper 
to get out of our way. One man, driving a team, did not give 
us the middle of the road, but crowded us almost to the edge, 
and but for careful managing we might have been overturned. 
As soon as we had safely passed, our big French two-hundred- 
pound conductor jumped off, ran after the team, and hit the 
man a furious blow on the head. The other retaliated by trying 
to strike back with his whip. After some expressive language 
on both sides, our man ended the fracas by throwing a stone at 
the other, and then drove rapidly on. A coarse-looking peasant 
woman leading a calf, grasped it by the horns, and with her 
strong arms held it, in spite of its struggles, until we had passed. 
Every mile of the fifty-four presented most picturesque and 
varied scenery ; ancient ruined castles on rocky heights, charm- 
ing cascades, magnificent views of Mont Blanc, with its daz- 



28 GENEVA TO CHAMOUNY. 

zling snowy peaks, towering majestically in the distance. We 
passed through long avenues of trees, through tunnels, over 
bridges, following the Arve, winding around the lofty moun- 
tains. A rocky projection of the mountains is called the profile 
of Louis Philippe, the green grass at the top forming the hair. 
Crosses of all descriptions are set up by the roadside, bearing 
the word Mission, and the date. One was a bronze cross on a 
stone pedestal, with the figure of the crucified Saviour, where 
Catholics come to pray. This seemed very strange to us, but 
we afterwards saw an innumerable number of them scattered 
through Italy. 

Driving through the country and towns in this manner, enabled 
us to form a good idea of French and Swiss peasant life. For 
instance, it was wash-day, and everybody washed in the streams ; . 
some on fiat stones, and others on slabs of wood ; some scrubbed 
the clothes with brushes, others beat them with sticks ; and 
such-looking clothes ! An American woman would be ashamed 
to have them hang in her yard. One female was washing greens 
for dinner by stamping on them with her bare feet in a brook. 
Women were laboring in the fields, doing all sorts of farm work. 
We also saw them knitting under various circumstances; one 
away up on the mountain side, seated on a stump, knitting and 
watching two cows pasture ; others standing in the streets 
knitting, riding in carts knitting, carrying baskets filled with 
lunch and bottles of wine on their heads, knitting. I began to 
think that the Swiss people must be " very hard on their stock- 
ings." A family moving, was another diversion ; the man driv- 
ing "a pig, the woman leading a goat, and another following in 
the rear with the baby — the three essentials to Swiss housekeep- 
ing. A huge boulder which had rolled down the mountain, was 
utilized as one of the side-walls of a rude dwelling. 

As we passed through the town of Cruses, we discovered it 
was market day ; and a novel affair it was ! The streets were 
strewn with merchandise of all kinds. Pieces of canvas were 
spread down in the dusty streets, and on them were piles of 
bright-colored ribbons, embroidery, dry goods and notions ; 



CHAMOUNY. 29 

also a department for cattle, goats and pigs. We met several 
men coming home from market, each with a span of small pigs, 
with harness and lines made of rope; women in broad-brimmed, 
high-crowned hats of straw, with a band of ribbon and faded 
artificials. A pretty sight it was, to see flocks of goats feeding 
on the dizzy heights; and little stone cottages here and there, 
far up on the mountain side, where people live in the summer 
season, and make cheese from goats' milk. Many times during 
the trip, our passengers threw pennies to poor, blind, deformed, 
lame and idiotic beggars, who sat in shady nooks by the way- 
side, holding out their hands for charity. Dirty, ragged chil- 
dren would run along by the diligence and want to sell us 
crystals, pretty stones, and tiny bouquets, which they had gath- 
ered on the mountains. 

We reached Chamouny about half past six o'clock in the 
evening, and went to the Hotel des Alpes. The village of 
Chamouny is nestled between lofty mountains ; the grand old 
Mont Blanc chain bounding it on the south-west. It consists 
principally of hotels and guides; and is a fashionable summer 
resort. 

The next morning we ate an early breakfast, and started out 
on mule-back to ascend Montanvert. Our party was made up 
of Mr. George Lavino, consul for the Netherlands, a gentleman 
without a title, Miss Camp, my husband and myself. We each 
had a guide and an Alpine stock (a long stick with an iron spike 
in the end.) As I was the most timid, they gave me my choice, 
and I selected the meekest-looking mule, having a side-saddle 
with an iron hoop around it, to prevent one from falling off 
backwards. My guide immediately informed me that I had 
chosen the oldest and most reasonable of them all, it having 
passed its fifteenth birthday. Before mounting, however, I 
gained from him the promise that he would lead the mule every 
step of the way. We were quite a merry party winding up the 
mountain, one after the other, the mules keeping the narrow 
path and never slipping once. We reached the top, an ascent 
of six thousand three hundred and three feet, in two and one- 



30 CHAMOUNY. 

half hours. We rested for a short time at a hotel, perched 
away up here, and examined the choice crystals and precious 
stones found on the mountain. Then we walked a short distance 
until we came to the Mer de Glace, a glacier or huge stream of 
ice twelve miles long, and from one to three miles wide. This 
glacier resembles a sea suddenly frozen, with the great waves 
somewhat blunted. These waves are intersected by crevices, the 
interior of which appears as blue as indigo. This vast sea of ice 
fills the highest gorges of the chain of Mont Blanc. " It has 
been calculated that two hundred years would elapse before a 
mass of rock, lying on the surface of this glacier at its upper 
end, would reach the valley of Chamouny." 

We crossed this glacier on foot. I took my guide's arm, and 
used my Alpine stock in the other hand. Great rocks and boul- 
ders lay in our path before reaching the mountain on the other 
side, which took us an hour and a half. In the most dangerous 
places steps were cut in the ice, and we often had to cross over 
great yawning chasms, hundreds of feet deep, where a misstep 
would have soon ushered us into eternity. We descended the 
mountain on the other side, by a narrow path, to the celebrated 
Mauvais Pas (the bad path) a steep rocky mountain side, where 
the path is hewn in steps and flanked with an iron railing anch- 
ored to the solid rock. I clung nervously to the railing with 
one hand, while the other was placed in that of the guide. I did 
not dare to look down into the awful abyss below. We were 
glad when this was over, and we reached the little hut where we 
procured dinner for ourselves and our guides. These little sum- 
mer houses are found at certain distances, all along up the sides 
of the mountains, where we stopped and refreshed ourselves with 
nice, cold, rich goats' milk. 

Soon after dinner, the boys, who had taken our mules by a dif- 
ferent route, while we crossed the glacier, met us, and we again 
mounted ; but I did not ride very far, for the descent was so 
steep and the path so narrow that I was terrifically frightened. 
The turns were so abrupt that when my mule, in the attempt to 
make them, dexterously collapsed, by putting several of his feet 



CHAMOUNY. 31 

in the same place, I felt that he was going to " step down and 
out." I suppose he wanted to show me how smart and sure- 
footed he was, and how near he could go to the edge of the pre- 
cipice without slipping off; for he would insist on walking just 
on the "ragged edge" all the time. Miss Camp, accustomed 
to riding, was brave through it all, and often halted a moment 
and allowed her guide to assist me in turning the corners. 

At last my head began to swim, as I looked down thousands 
of feet below, and I called to my French guide to take me down. 
But he only replied, " Courage, Madam !" and not until the 
tears came with fright, and I slipped my foot from the stirrup, 
did he comprehend my meaning. Then he lifted me down 
carefully, and I clung to some roots above, while the whole 
party passed, and then skipped along on foot until the descent 
was more gradual. And be it known, to the shame of the gen- 
tlemen, that not one of them attempted to ride down this steep 
declivity ; for, after dismounting, I looked back, and saw them 
meekly following their mules. 

Our next jaunt was to ascend Mount Flegere, five thousand 
nine hundred and twenty-five feet high, where we had still an- 
other view of the highest point of Mont Blanc, the monarch of 
European mountains, fifteen thousand seven hundred and thirty- 
one feet high. I had no desire to ascend that. A party of 
eleven persons perished in a snow-storm, in 1870, while trying 
to make the ascent. It seems to me I never saw such an exquis- 
itely grand picture in nature as while descending the Flegere. 
There was the valley of Chamouny below, dotted with pretty vil- 
lages, the Arve river winding like a silver thread through the 
beautiful green meadows, with a background of lofty mountains, 
covered with evergreen trees of many shades and varieties ; and 
back of and towering above all, the majestic snowy peaks of old 
Mont Blanc. I was lost in admiration, and for the time forgot 
that I was on a mule's back. The mountain air sharpened our 
appetites, and we did justice to the inviting evening meal. 

The next morning I awakened to the fact that I was stiff and 
sore in every joint and limb; but nevertheless, as the others were 



32 LAKE GENEVA. 

in tolerably good trim, we left Chamouny at seven o'clock in 
the diligence, and reached Geneva at three p. m. We went to 
the same hotel, de Geneve, and stayed all night. 

Next day, in a pretty, commodious steamboat, we rode nearly 
the whole length of Lake Geneva, the largest of the Swiss lakes, 
being fifty miles long and a mile and a quarter wide, in the 
shape of a half moon. The day was perfect ! The kindly sun 
tempered his rays to just the right degree of comfort and 
pleasantness. The lake was as smooth as glass; not a ripple dis- 
turbed its peaceful bosom of azure blue; and the soft sweet notes 
of the brass band lent additional enchantment to the surround- 
ings. The lake is bounded on the north by gently-sloping hills, 
clothed with the cedar of Lebanon, chestnut, walnut and mag- 
nolia trees, and luxuriant vineyards, with smiling villages peeping 
out here and there. On the opposite shore a grand panorama 
of mountains stretches as far as the eye can see. An ancient 
castle, with five towers, presents a pretty picture. It being the 
first of June, or opening of the season, many of the little villages 
where the boat halted were celebrating the day. 

The landing at Lausanne, was beautifully trimmed with 
flowers. Arriving at Chillon, we immediately secured the ser- 
vices of a man to take us over to the Castle, a distance of half a 
mile, in a dainty little row-boat with canopy, brussels carpet 
and cushioned seats ; and as we approached the castle, which is 
built on an isolated rock sixty-six feet from the shore, with 
which it is connected by a drawbridge, and were told that the 
water beneath us was seven hundred feet deep, I must confess 
I trembled at the frailty of our bark. 

But soon we were under the very shadow of this ancient 
castle, the foundation of which was laid in 830, with its massive 
walls, narrow loop-holes, six towers and battlements, made im- 
mortal by Byron. When once within its gloomy walls, we pro- 
ceeded immediately to the dungeons beneath, as this was the 
part we came to see. These dungeons consist of several cells 
dug out of the solid rock upon which the castle stands, so that 
it must have seemed like a living grave to the many prisoners 



CASTLE OF CHILLON. $$ 

who have been confined there, beneath the surface of the lake. 
We held our breath when we entered the cell which is the scene 
of Byron's poem, entitled "The Prisoner of Chillon," it 
seemed so real ; for there stood the seven huge stone pillars with 
heavy iron rings, to which the chains were attached. There are 
the narrow loop-holes through which a few golden rays of sun- 
light might creep, to remind the prisoner how the world without 
is lighted with his full-orbed splendor. See how the stone pave- 
ment around the pillars is worn in hollows by the weary pacing 
of the captives ! We could almost fancy we saw their forms 
in the dim light, and heard the clanking of their chains. I 
cannot refrain from quoting a few lines from Byron : 

" There are seven pillars of Gothic mould 
In Chillon's dungeons deep and old, 
There are seven columns, massy and gray, 
Dim with a dull imprisoned ray,— 
A sunbeam which hath lost its way, 
And through the crevice and the cleft 
Of the thick wall is fallen and left, 
Creeping o'er the floor so damp, 
Like a marsh's meteor lamp, — 
And in each pillar there is a ring, 
And in each ring there is a chain ; 
******** 

They chained us each to a column stone, 
And we were three, yet each alone; 
We could not move a single pace, 
We could not see each other's face, 
But with that pale and livid light 
That made us strangers in our sight ; 
And thus together, yet apart, 
Fettered in hand, but pined in heart; 
'Twas still some solace, in the dearth 
Of the pure elements of earth 
To hearken to each other's speech, 
And each turn comforter to each 
With some new hope, or legend old, 
Or song heroically bold ; 
But even these at length grew cold. 



34 CASTLE OF CHILLON. 

Our voices took a dreary tone, 
An echo of the dungeon-stone, 
A grating sound, — not full and free 
As they of yore were wont to be ; 
It might be fancy, — but to me 
They never sounded like our own." 

Among the hundreds of names cut in these pillars by visitors, 
are those of Byron, Victor Hugo and George Sand. Bonivard 
was chained to one of these pillars for six weary years, and lived 
thirty-five years after his release. One would suppose that being 
deprived of God's pure air and sunshine, and the inactivity of 
his physical and intellectual powers for so long, would have 
brought him to a premature grave ; but not so — he lived to the 
good old age of threescore and fifteen years. 

On our way to the station we saw a handsome Swiss cottage, 
that was actually taken to the Exposition at Paris. Our route 
presented most picturesque scenery of mountains, rivers, tunnels, 
cascades, waterfalls, several ruined castles, the bleak, yellowish 
slopes of a vast semi-circular crater and the Gorge du Trient. 

We arrived at Brieg in the evening, tired and hungry. Went 
to the hotel d'Angleterre, an old-fashioned house, with no plas- 
tering over the bare stone walls within ; stone floors and stair- 
cases with no carpets; huge doors like those of a prison, with 
heavy iron locks and bolts; but good, wholesome, well-prepared 
food, and withal, the most popular hotel in the little village. 
At half-past four o'clock the next morning, we started by dili- 
gence, to go over the wonderful Simplon Pass of the Alps into 
Italy. We traveled the road constructed by Napoleon Bona- 
parte, in 1800, or rather begun then; it took six years to build 
it and cost $3,600,000. It is a grand memento of his perse- 
verance and skillful engineering, winding back and forth up the 
mountain; in some places built up of solid masonry, in others 
rocks blasted off to form the track; running through galleries, 
hewn out of the solid rock, one ninety-nine feet long; having 
snow-sheds built of stone over the track in the most dangerous 
places, as a protection from the avalanches, which slide down 
the side of the mountains at times. 



SIMPLON PASS. . 35 

Soon after leaving Brieg we saw a small pilgrimage church 
away up on the side of the mountain, to which a winding path 
leads by a number of stations. We had a fine view of the Kalt- 
wasser Glacier, the Rant Glacier, the Rossboden Glacier, and 
many others. The finely shaped Mount Fletschhorn, 12,853 
feet high, seemed so near to us and yet how far distant ! It took 
four hours to ascend to the summit of the pass, but when there, 
we had a charming retrospective view of the village of Brieg, 
resting in the valley, thousands of feet below us, and the sur- 
rounding scenery was indescribably beautiful ! — snow-capped 
mountains, others dressed in living green, wonderful, awe- 
inspiring glaciers, and lovely cascades. It was a new experience 
to us to be riding over the snow, the beautiful snow, the second 
day of June, warmly wrapped in blankets and robes, yet cheered 
by the friendly sun. Up and down this mountain pass there are 
nine places of refuge for travelers. The culminating point of 
the Simplon Pass is 6,595 feet high. Here is the Hospice of 
St. Bernard, consisting of two large buildings. One contains 
the church, the dwellings of the brethren, and numerous apart- 
ments for the reception of travelers, and the other is a refuge in 
case of fire, and contains the storehouse and lodging for poor 
wayfarers. They were built in the sixteenth century. The 
brotherhood consists of fifteen monks and seven attendants, who 
entertain strangers, free of charge, and assist travelers who are 
exposed to the dangers of heavy snow-storms. Their snowy 
season lasts nine months. The famous breed of dogs, employed 
at the hospice, is known the world over. Their acute sense of 
smell enables them to trace and find people who are perishing, 
although they may be completely covered from sight by the 
snow; and many lives have been saved by these noble animals. 

A short distance from the hospice is the morgue, a receptacle 
for dead bodies found in the snow ; and I have seen it stated 
that the features of the deceased are sometimes recognizable 
years after death, as the coldness and dryness of the air retard 
decomposition. 

In descending the mountain pass we rode nearly all the way 



$6 . SIMPLON PASS. 

through the Ravine of Gondo, one of the wildest and grandest 
gorges in the Alps. It is terrific grandeur, awful sublimity. At 
some places the rocks on both sides stretch up to the dizzy 
height of two thousand feet. In other places its precipitous 
walls of mica-slate overhang the road. Huge boulders fill up 
the bottom of this ravine, and over and under and around them 
dashes the river in mad fury, "helter-skelter, hurry-skurry." 
We approached a huge black rock or cliff that appeared to com- 
pletely block the way, but when we came to it we found that it 
is pierced with a tunnel seven hundred and thirty-five feet long, 
called the Gallery of Gondo. Upon emerging from this tunnel 
a lovely cascade is precipitated over the rocks at the left, com- 
ing from the heights above, a mass of feathery foam, leaping and 
dashing in frolicsome glee ; and its beauty is all the more appre- 
ciated on account of its position — at the mouth of a tunnel. It 
seems to be playing bo-peep with travelers, springing upon them 
in this most unexpected place. Its very name is fanciful, Fres- 
sinone Waterfall. Through this gorge our horses went on the 
keen trot, and from our hearts we thanked God and Napoleon 
that there was a solid stone wall four or five feet high on the 
side of the road next to the gorge, for our driver had taken too 
much wine. A column of granite marks the boundary between 
Switzerland and Italy. When we reached the town of Domo 
d'Ossola, we went to a restaurant and had some good beefsteak, 
potatoes and coffee ; then again took seats in the diligence and 
rode to Arona. 



CHAPTER IV. 

For two hours, at twilight, we rode along the right bank of 
the celebrated picturesque Lake Maggiore. Oh ! that my pen 
could portray its loveliness ! A painter's brush could tell but 
half its charms ! We saw it in its prettiest dress and happiest 
mood, and evening light brings out its shadows to perfection. 
This beautiful expanse of water, stretching out thirty-seven miles 
in length, a clear, placid, deep, blue sheet, striped with all the 
tints of the rainbow ; its clearly-defined shadows, its noble back- 
ground of irregular mountain peaks in their emerald robes ; and 
behind them, peeping over their heads, the older hills in their 
snowy caps, was soul-stirring ! We looked up there, and saw 
stern grandeur, old winter's frosty breath. We turned to our 
right and saw the luxuriance of a southern clime, vines, laurels, 
mulberry, fig, olive, oleander, magnolia, lemon and orange 
trees. It seems that every art that man can devise has been 
added to increase the beauty of this unparalleled natural scen- 
ery. The road winding along the bank of the lake is hard and 
smooth and white, and is flanked on the right with numerous 
habitations, costly mansions of superior architecture, picturesque 
fairy-like Swiss cottages, every dwelling that might otherwise 
seem unsightly, artistically covered with creeping vines and 
ivies ; the lawns exquisitely shaven, and vying with each other 
in flowers and adornments. Hanging over the low stone wall 
which separates the lawns from the street, were huge rose bushe s 
in close proximity, literally covered with dark, velvety, red and 
cream-colored roses, the shades alternating. One of these ele- 
gant residences, a handsome brick, called Villa Clara, is the one 
which Queen Victoria honored with her presence in the spring 
of 1879. Perhaps the prettiest spot on the lake is that in which 
the lovely group of Borromean islands appear, clothed with 

(37) 



38 MILAN. 

their rich verdure, and ornamented with costly edifices. Those 
who have seen both, say that just here Lake Maggiore rivals Lake 
Como in grandeur and softness of character. The dainty row- 
boats dreamily floating on its surface, with their gayly-attired 
occupants, and the birds on the wing, put the finishing touches 
to this glorious landscape. No wonder that people of wealth 
and leisure and artistic taste come here to spend a few months, 
and drink in the pleasures which surround them. 

In this vicinity is a fine granite quarry, and when we saw how 
extensive it was, we began to mistrust that this must be the place 
where all the tall granite telegraph posts came from that we had 
been passing for many miles back. I must say, we could not 
help contrasting them with the slender, wooden, tottering tele- 
graph poles in our own beloved America. 

We reached Arona at nine o'clock p. m., a distance of 
seventy-eight miles by diligence from Brieg. We immediately 
boarded a train and reached Milan at midnight. That same 
night Garibaldi, the true, noble-hearted, patriotic friend of the 
Italian people, died. Our sole object in going to Milan was to 
see its wonderful cathedral ; so, immediately after breakfast next 
morning, we hastened thither, determined on giving up the day 
to this world-renowned object. In passing through the streets 
we discovered that the ladies of Milan have a pretty fashion of 
wearing elegant, rich lace shawls on their heads, draped in the 
most fantastic manner, without hat or bonnet. The cathedral 
loomed up before us, a majestic pile of white marble, the exterior 
of which is lavishly adorned with more than two thousand stat- 
ues, and the roof with its ninety-eight Gothic turrets, and tower 
three hundred and sixty feet high, pointing heavenward. 

We walked around this magnificent structure at a sufficient 
distance to take it in as a whole, and we could at once compre- 
hend how people always go into ecstasies over the " Gothic 
Cathedral of Milan." It was built in the fifteenth century, and 
next to St. Peter's at Rome is the largest church in Europe. 
The interior is four hundred and seventy-seven feet long, and 
one hundred and eighty-three feet wide, supported by fifty-two 



MILAN. 39 

pillars which are twelve feet in diameter, and instead of having 
capitals, they are ornamented at the top with eight or more 
beautifully-carved canopied niches containing statues; and 
against a great many of these pillars are hung fine oil paintings. 
The mosaic pavement is of many different colored marbles. 
The vaulted roof is so skillfully painted that a person looking up 
at it would not doubt for a moment but that it was delicately 
perforated stone work. Three hundred and fifty Bible scenes 
ate portrayed on the three large stained-glass choir windows. 
The structure and decoration of the choir itself is very superior. 
The Cathedral has double aisles, and there are also aisles in each 
transept. All along the side aisles are chapels, with rich marble 
altars and tombs. One of them contains an old wooden crucifix, 
which in 1576 S. Carlo Borromeo carried barefooted, on his 
mission of mercy during the plague. Directly under the dome 
is the crypt containing the tomb of this saint. We reached it 
by descending a short flight of steps, passing through a passage 
with beautifully-polished marble walls, and a door with rich 
columns bearing gilded capitals. This crypt or sepulcher is 
octagonal in shape, and its walls are covered with eight silver 
bass-reliefs, historical representations of events in the saint's 
life; and eight silver statues stand in the angles. For five more 
francs (one dollar) the attendant would have opened the sar- 
cophagus and shown us the saint, covered with diamonds and 
precious stones ; but we shook our heads. 

The most remarkable piece of sculpture which adorns the 
church, is the marble statue of St. Bartholomew, by Marcus 
Agrate. The saint is represented flayed, with his skin thrown 
carelessly over his shoulder. The head, face, hands and feet of 
the skin are exactly the same shape and size as those of the 
statue, which stands up, looking like the pictures in our Physi- 
ology with the muscles, tendons and arteries chiseled out, 
astonishingly true to nature. One can not help but stand and 
gaze at this wonderful work of art, and pity the poor fellow who 
was so ruthlessly robbed of his last garment — his skin. Here we 
also saw a valuable bronze candelabrum (candlestick), in the 



40 MILAN. 

form of a tree, elaborately ornamented with precious stones, 
which is about six hundred years old. Nearly all these cathe- 
drals have what is called a treasury, a room in which are kept gold 
and silver vessels, precious stones, crosses, valuable relics, and 
treasures of untold wealth. Here we saw life-size statues of 
St. Ambrogio, and St. Carlo Borromeo in solid silver ; the ring 
and staff of the latter; lamps, censers, candelabra, goblets, etc., 
rich in splendor, oddly shaped and covered with rare and beau- 
tiful designs. I could not help but wonder what the Lord 
thought of all these treasures, "laid up in a napkin," while his 
poor crouch at the very door of the sanctuary, with outstretched 
hands for charity. This cathedral is so large that the hammer 
of the stone masons in a distant part of the church sounded but 
as the ticking of a clock. We saw the priests burn incense, and 
heard the grand peals of the organ. As the roof of this cathedral 
is perhaps equal to the interior in grandeur, we ascended a flight 
of one hundred and ninety-four broad white stone steps and 
reached the roof, where we suddenly found ourselves in a perfect 
labyrinth of statues, pinnacles, exquisite carvings and tracery, 
flying buttresses, arches and pillars. One can form but little 
idea of the immensity of this roof unless he attempts to walk 
over it. We ascended three hundred more steps and reached 
the highest gallery of the tower, where we sat and rested and 
looked down over the forest of white marble turrets beneath us, 
and out over the city of Milan, which is seven miles in circum- 
ference, and contains two hundred thousand inhabitants. 

The next day being the Sabbath, we turned our steps once 
more to the Cathedral. As we approached, the broad front steps 
were crowded with people clothed in rags, selling oranges, lem- 
ons, cherries, lemonade, photograph's, and all sorts of fancy 
cakes. Just imagine having a lot of Italians run up to you and 
offer things for sale on Sabbath morning as you are entering 
church ! Most of that audience stood on the cold stone floor 
during the whole service. The chairs were not sufficient to 
supply one quarter of the people, and those who did occupy 
them had to pay a penny apiece before they were allowed to sit 



GENOA. 4 1 

down. The Italian tongue of the priest, together with the cold, 
formal ceremonies, made us long for our own little church at 

home. 

On Monday we went by train to Genoa. This city is most 
picturesquely situated on the Gulf of Genoa. It is built in ter- 
races from the water's edge up the mountain side. It is strongly 
fortified, having ten forts situated on the heights above the town. 
And back of all, reaching to the mountain-top, is a luxuriant 
growth of orange, lemon, fig, olive, and other tropical trees. It 
is the chief commercial town in Italy, having a good harbor, which 
was filled with a perfect forest of masts. Its population is one 
hundred and thirty thousand. It has many handsome buildings, 
among which are the palaces of the Genoese nobility. Some of 
the streets are wide, but most of them are narrow and crooked. 
One street up which we walked was about eight feet wide ; but 
they have a fashion there of extending the second story a foot or 
two farther into the street than the first, the third story that 
much further than the second, and so on, till actually the roofs 
of two houses, on opposite sides of the street, did meet six stories 
above our heads. Of course this darkens the streets, and when 
filled with vile odors, as they sometimes are, they do not make 
very delightful promenades. 

Genoa is noted for its manufacture of silver filigree work. We 
went into one shop that had nothing in it but this silver-gilt 
filigree work, wrought of very fine wires into exquisite patterns, 
roses, pansies, butterflies, etc., for the pins and earrings, and all 
sorts of fantastic designs for bracelets, rings and chains. It is so 
fine and delicately made that it looks like lace-work. Although 
it tarnishes after a few months' wearing, yet it looks like solid 
Etruscan gold, and makes a showy, novel appearance in the shop- 
windows, and Americans always go in to see what it is. 

The finest church in Genoa is that of St. Annunziata. Its 
principal beauty consists in the vaulting being supported by 
twelve fluted white marble columns, ornamented with gold. In 
the church of St. Lorenzo is a large handsome painting of the 
Crucifixion. It is kept covered with a heavy curtain of green 



42 GENOA. 

rep, so that the light will not fade the colors. It was taken to 
Paris when Napoleon I. captured Genoa, but they afterwards 
regained possession of it. The side aisles have several hand- 
some chapels. In one of them they claim to have the relics 
of John the Baptist, preserved in a richly-carved marble tomb, 
which stands on four pillars of porphyry brought from Egypt. 
Mr. Culler went in to see it, and the chain with which John was 
bound while in prison ; but Miss Camp and I were not allowed 
to go in, because it was through a woman that John the Baptist 
lost his head. 

We went to see one of the grand palaces, called Palazzo del 
Municipio. In the vestibule is a fine statue of Mazzini. In the 
Council Chamber were the portraits of Christopher Columbus 
and Marco Polo, beautifully wrought in mosaic. The former 
was born in Cogoleto, about sixteen miles from Genoa. In an 
adjoining room is the picture of the Madonna between two 
saints; a large bronze tablet of A. D. 117, recording the judg- 
ment of Roman arbiters in a dispute between Genoa and a 
neighboring castle; letters of Columbus' writing; and a cabinet 
in the wall, lined with pink satin, contains the violin of Paganini 
under a glass case. 

The greatest sight in Genoa, however, is the Campo Santo 
(burial place). It is situated on the slope of the valley, a mile 
or two from the city, and is built in the form of a square, with 
an open court in the centre. This court is filled with unpre- 
tending tombstones, some of them simple slabs, and others in 
the form of a cross ; but from nearly all of them is suspended an 
artificial wreath of flowers in black and white, presenting a very 
sombre appearance. 

But it seeems to be a custom among the Catholics every- 
where, thus to decorate their tombstones. The handsome stone 
building which incloses this court is the burial place of the 
wealthy. And truly it is sumptuous ! There are sepulchers, 
niches made in the solid stone walls, in which the coffins are 
placed, and then sealed shut with a marble slab, upon which is 
engraved the epitaph. Two sides of this square are extremely 



GENOA. 43 

beautiful and impressive. The space is divided into family 
burial places, with the statue of each person who has died beau- 
tifully carved in white marble. The features of these statues are 
exactly like those of the departed, also manner of wearing the 
hair, style of dress, etc. It is perfectly wonderful ! Lace and 
embroidery, ribbons, ties, fringe, all of white marble, yet of such 
superior workmanship that one almost fancies these statues are 
real people, whose garments are covered with snow. One statue 
of a dear old grandma, in her ruffled cap, with wrinkled but 
sunny face, and the veins standing out on her thin hands, 
brought to mind the passage of scripture: "These are they 
which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes 
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." 

This sight is very impressive to a stranger. At a glance one 
can see just whom the Messenger of Death has snatched from each 
family circle. Here is the sweet little baby in its fang robes, 
there sunny youth, there the fond sister, there the young hus- 
band in the full strength of manhood, there frosted orange 
blossoms, there decrepit old age. On the hill-side shaded by 
cypress trees is the vault of Mazzini, who died in 1872. Look- 
ing in through the bronze doors, we saw the sarcophagus of this 
most remarkable man of modern Italy. His wife's tomb is just 
outside. 

The chapel in connection with the cemetery is very handsome. 
The dome is supported by sixteen columns of black marble; 
each column having cost three thousand two hundred dollars, 
and are each nine feet in circumference. 

Not far from the depot is the statue of Columbus. It stands 
on a pedestal ornamented with prows of ships. A figure repre- 
senting America kneels at his feet. The monument is sur- 
rounded by allegorical figures representing geography, wisdom, 
strength and religion. 

The scenery between Genoa and Pisa is very striking. For 
miles we ran along the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. This 
broad expanse of water, so smooth and peaceful, dotted with 
white sails, is the very identical body of water I had so often 



44 pisa. 

pointed out on the map when a school-girl ! But it was difficult 
to reconcile that little black spot in the geography with this 
glorious sight. The Apennine mountains, with old ruined 
castles here and there perched on their summits, extend down 
to the sea-shore in many places, and the railroad is carried 
through numerous promontories by means of cuttings and eighty 
tunnels, which are short, causing a continual change from sun- 
shine to shadow. We whirled past many orange and lemon 
groves, olive and fig orchards, palm and oleander trees, and im- 
mense cactuses in wild luxuriance from six to eight feet high, 
with their broad, tough, thorny leaves. 

We arrived at Pisa too late in the day for sight-seeing, but 
were up betimes in the morning to explore the wonders of the 
Piazza del Duomo, in which is situated an unparalleled group of 
buildings, viz., the Cathedral, the Leaning Tower, the Baptistry, 
and the Campo Santo. We first entered the Cathedral. This 
beautiful edifice is built of white marble in the form of a Latin 
cross. The nave, flanked with double aisles, is three hundred 
and twelve feet long, and has a flat, richly-gilded ceiling. In 
this part of the Cathedral the swaying of a bronze lamp, which 
is suspended from the roof by a cable about eighty feet long, sug- 
gested to Galileo the idea of the pendulum. In the interior of 
this church are sixty-eight ancient Greek and Roman columns, 
which the people of Pisa captured in war, and many grand 
paintings add to the richness of its beauty. The elliptical dome 
is decorated with pictures, wrought in mosaic. In the right 
transept the basin for holy water, adorned with the Madonna 
and Child was designed by Michael Angelo. 

The Baptistry is a handsome circular structure, considered the 
most elegant one in Italy, built also of white marble. It is one 
hundred and ninety feet high, and one hundred feet in diameter 
inside the walls, which are nine feet thick, and is so delicately 
and elaborately carved that it looks as if veiled in white lace. A 
child would probably think it looked like a huge pyramid cake 
frosted in beautiful patterns. I felt that I was in a great, white 
marble bell ; and certainly the fine echo produced here is 



PISA. 



45 



sweeter than the tones of any bell. The guide sang a few notes, 
and the echo came back like the full rich tones of a pipe organ. 
In the centre is a marble octagonal font fourteen feet in diame- 
ter, lavishly ornamented with reliefs and mosaics. The children 
of the church are brought here to be baptized. Here, also, is 
the celebrated hexagonal pulpit, supported by seven columns, 
the masterpiece of Nicola Pisano. Each side is covered with 
bass-reliefs of surpassing beauty — i. Annunciation and Nativity; 
2. Adoration of the Magi; 3. Presentation in the Temple; 4. 
Crucifixion; 5. Last Judgment; 6. Allegorical figures. We 
afterwards saw many plaster casts of this wonderful pulpit in dif- 
ferent museums throughout Europe ; so we were particularly 
glad that we had seen the original. 

We next visited the Campo Santo. A shade of disappoint- 
ment stole over our faces when we remembered the fresh beauty 
of the Campo Santo at Genoa. Of course this is nearly six 
hundred years older than that; this having been built in the 
thirteenth century, and that in the present. However, this old, 
faded, historic beauty is the most interesting after all. They are 
similar in shape, a vast corridor or arched cloisters extending 
around the four sides of an open court, which is called the Gar- 
den of the Dead. Fifty-three ship-loads of earth was deposited 
here, brought from Mount Calvary in Jerusalem, in order that 
(according to a superstitious notion) the dead might be buried 
in holy ground. This structure is four hundred and fourteen 
feet long, one hundred and seventy-one feet wide, and forty-eight 
feet high. The walls are covered with frescoes by painters of 
the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries ; some of them are almost 
effaced by time. Perhaps the Triumph of Death is the most 
celebrated and striking, in which horrible devils are snatching 
away the wicked and carrying them off to perdition, some of 
them by the hair of the head, others are being hurled into the 
flames head first ; the devil and angels are contending over others, 
the former dragging them down, and the latter lifting them 
up. Three kings mounted on their gallant steeds are approach- 
ing three open coffins ; the horses, by their outstretched necks, 



46 pisa. 

distended nostrils and frightened attitude, seem to realize that 
death is near at hand. At the right of the picture are some of 
the blest sitting under palm trees, and others ascending to 
heaven. Another picture called "The Last Judgment," por- 
trays the Judge in the centre, with the saved on the right and 
the damned on the left. A third picture represents " Hell," — 
a horrible spectacle, in which the damned are writhing with 
agony in the fiery furnace, entwined with serpents ; and misery 
of all sorts is graphically depicted. On another side of this 
building the book of Genesis is portrayed — the Creation of the 
World, the Creation of Eve, the Fall, Expulsion from Paradise, 
Cain killing Abel, Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt, etc. 
The pavement on which we walked was formed of tombstones, 
some of them so old that we could not begin to read the in- 
scriptions. Along the sides of the walls are Roman, Etruscan 
and mediaeval sculptures, many of which are crumbling to pieces 
and black with age. 

We next turned our steps to the Campanile, or as it is more 
commonly called, the Leaning Tower, as it leans thirteen feet 
out of the perpendicular. It is built of white marble, and was 
begun in 1174, but was not completed until one hundred and 
seventy-six years afterwards. It is a perfect cylinder fifty-three 
feet in diameter and one hundred and seventy-nine feet high. 
It consists of eight stories, eight tiers of columns supporting 
arches, thus forming open galleries around the tower. Inside is 
a winding staircase of broad, easy steps, two hundred and 
ninety-four in number. In making the ascent, when on the 
side which leaned we ran, but climbed on the other side. We 
could go out and walk around on any of these galleries, which 
project seven feet. At last we reached the belfry, in which is a. 
chime of seven bells, the largest weighing six tons. But am- 
bition spurred us on to climb to the very tip-top, and going to 
the edge and holding on to the iron railing on the leaning side, 
we looked down. I was afraid we might tip it over, but we 
made no more impression upon its solid masonry than if a 
canary bird had for a moment rested there. The view from the 



NAPLES. 47 

top is very pretty. The eye takes in the city, the distant hills 
and mountains, and the grand old Mediterranean Sea with all 
the details that go to make up a charming landscape. Every- 
body asks, Was it built that way on purpose, or by accident? 
History tells us that the most probable solution is that "the 
foundation settled during its erection, and in order to remedy 
the defect, an attempt was made to give a vertical position to 
the upper part." 

We had so much veneration for these four buildings that, 
although the beggars were bold and numerous, the weather 
warm and depressing, yet we left Pisa with pleasant thoughts ; 
taking train for Naples, riding all night long, changed cars at 
ten o'clock at Rome, and reached Naples at half-past six o'clock 
next morning. For twenty miles we could see the smoke rolling 
up from the chimney of old Mount Vesuvius. Somewhat 
fatigued by our night's journey, we immediately sought out the 
handsomely-furnished, comfortable hotel Geneve. After indulg- 
ing in a warm bath and a delicious breakfast, we felt somewhat 
refreshed, and went out, not to "See Naples and die," but to 
live, and tell others of its strange conglomeration of happy, 
joyous, indolent, slovenly, squalid, hungry, naked, dirty human 
beings ; of its beautiful situation and its ancient curiosities. 
Naples has a population of four hundred and fifty thousand 
eight hundred, and has one of the most lovely situations in the 
world, being built in the form of a crescent on the beautiful 
Bay of Naples. The lavish gifts of nature bestowed upon this 
spot of God's footstool seem to atone somewhat for the want of 
energy, pride and enterprise of its inhabitants. Although some 
of the streets are spacious and airy, and paved with square blocks 
of lava, yet the most of them are narrow and dingy, flanked 
with high, narrow, flat-roofed houses. The noise of the wheels, 
and drivers, and whips, and donkeys, and children, is enough to 
set a nervous person wild. The streets of Naples are full of 
sights ! We saw lazy, ragged, dirty women seated on the curb- 
stones (perfectly indifferent to the passers-by) giving their chil- 
dren various acts of attention, such as searching for and ruth- 



48 NAPLES. 

lessly slaying the tenants of the upper story, etc. Filthy hard- 
looking men were stretched out asleep on the pavements, and 
dozens of them asleep on stone walls, lying face down like a lot 
of lizards basking in the sun. Entirely nude children three or 
four years old were running about the streets promiscuously. 
People in the fourth or fifth stories were bargaining for cherries, 
etc., in the street below; letting down their money in a basket, 
and drawing it up full of fruit. Merchandise of all sorts was 
laid right down in the dusty streets. Three or four people were 
ravenously eating macaroni from one big, yellow bowl. 

Men, women and children pestered us at every step to buy 
matches and all sorts of notions. Horrible beggars with all 
sorts of deformities followed us for squares with outstretched 
hands, repeating a lingo in a monotonous style. At every turn 
a cabman would drive up to us and ask for employment. 
Porters fairly take your baggage out of your hands. Beggars 
run to open a door for you, and then expect five or ten centimes 
in return. We saw several ungainly-looking teams — a cow and 
donkey, an ox and a horse harnessed together; and frequently 
we saw a little homely donkey drawing an enormous load, built 
up so high and out so wide that you could not mistrust how it 
was put in motion, unless you were fortunate enough to get a 
front view. 

Our attention was attracted to a rope hanging down outside 
a shop, the end of which was smoking a little ; we could not 
imagine what heathenish custom that was, until we had seen an 
unlimited number of them, and observed that men lit their 
cigars with them ; whereupon the following question arose : Are 
these Italians too lazy or too poor to strike a match? A dirty 
indolent boy was engaged in unrolling stubs of cigars to have 
made up again. The fellow who smokes a cigar made out of 
that will have one that has been in a variety of mouths. Great 
wagon loads of bread pass through the streets, and filthy women 
carry baskets of bread on their heads, and yards of bread under 
their arms. 

Oranges and lemons are very cheap here — a penny a piece. 



NAPLES. 49 

The coral shops make an elegant and showy display. We visited 
the Aquarium, which occupies the ground floor of a building 
situated in the Villa Nazionale, a beautiful pleasure ground 
embellished with palm-trees, flowers, sculpture and shady walks, 
affording the fashionable promenade of Naples. The Aquarium 
consists of large tanks extending around the building, reaching 
from the floor to the ceiling, inclosed in glass cases, containing 
an extensive stock of curious marine animals of all descriptions, 
and is considered one of the most interesting establishments of 
the kind in the world. "Most of the animals are from the Medi- 
terranean, which is the richest in animal life of all European 
seas. It is certainly a most enchanting sight to watch these 
millions of sea-animals with their different shapes, sizes, colors, 
and habits. Beautiful fish of delicate shades of pink, lavender, 
green, in fact all sorts of tints, striped and spotted, dart hither 
and thither, glittering in the sunshine. And oh, the beautiful 
specimens of living coral ! We had often seen pretty white and 
red branches adorning a mantel-piece or incased in a museum 
in our own country; but here we actually saw it in living form, 
and found by study and observation that these beautiful branches 
and twigs are stony substances produced by the coral polypes 
which have secreted it as the common support and skeleton of 
their.soft vital parts. The living branch of coral is covered 
with a softer rind, just as the trunk of a real tree is covered with 
bark, and the little coral insects may be seen, like delicate white 
flower-cups with eight feathery leaves, unfolding themselves at 
innumerable points on the surface of the branch. The pretty 
Medusse, another specimen of marine life, with their graceful 
motions and splendid colors, look like anything rather than 
animals, as you can discover no arms, legs or head. They are 
merely a sort, of shallow cup resembling a mushroom or um- 
brella, and move by the contractions of their bodies. On the 
edge of the cup are the organs of sight and hearing, and from 
the centre of the hollow of the cup hangs a long, gelatinous, 
transparent stem, which is provided with a mouth orifice. The 
tank containing the Annelids looked more like a garden planted 
4 



50 NAPLES. 

with miniature palm-trees of various rich colors, than a col- 
lection of worms. There, shoot forth bright red tassels from 
a white calcareous tube; there, wave feathery spiral crowns on 
slender stems; there, a confused mass of tubes seem set with 
hundreds of dainty colored brushes; and yet all these creations 
are real worms. They are so sensitive that a passing cloud or a 
slight disturbance of the water will cause these tiny crowns to be 
drawn into the tube, to wait until the supposed danger is over, 
then cautiously something resembling a camel's-hair brush, will 
begin to peep out of the mouth of the tube, and finally unfold 
its gorgeous beauty. One could watrh them for hours! The 
electric ray is a peculiar and interesting fish, having a flat, 
round, naked, slimy body, with a large bean shaped electric 
organ on each side. The nervous electricity is collected in this 
apparatus, and discharged when pressed with the thumb and 
finger. The back is positive and the belly negative. 

The keeper of the Aquarium caught one of them, and Mr. 
Culler received quite a shock by pressing it in this manner. Of 
course (being a woman) I was too cowardly to touch it. Some 
of the animals have a very disgusting appearance, as the Octopus 
Vulgaris, with a body like a bag which we could distinctly see 
breathing. The small head at the top contains two big eyes, 
and eight long, slimy arms branch out from the head, with 
which it creeps, climbs, and seizes and holds its prey. We 
watched the keeper feed it with great interest. It is continually 
contracting and expanding its long arms, wriggling and twisting 
about, and appears to be trying to turn itself wrong side out. 
They are very strong, and drag quite good-sized stones into a 
heap and then hide behind them. They grow to a considerable 
size in the ocean. The arms of some of them which have been 
caught, measured twenty-five feet in length. These in the 
Aquarium are young, with arms only three or four feet long. 
If ever I am so unfortunate as to be drowned in the sea, I hope 
one of these creatures will not take after me. The star-fish, sea 
urchins, young sharks, the murex, from which was obtained the 
purple fluid with which the ancients dyed their royal robes, and 



NAPLES. 



51 



in fact everything we saw there, was intensely interesting and 
enjoyable. 

We began to change our minds about Naples and think it was 
rather a nice place after all. The museum at Naples, containing 
excavated treasures from Pompeii, Herculaneum and other 
valuables, forms one of the finest collections in the world. 
Seven rooms and a corridor are filled with ancient frescoes from 
the above-mentioned cities. Among the finest are Medea brood- 
ing over the murder of her children, the Dancing Girls, the 
Three Graces, various representations of Cupid, and some very 
fine mosaic pictures, the most remarkable of which is the Eattle 
of Alexander. These works are almost the only specimens of 
ancient painting which have been handed down to our genera- 
tion, and are therefore of priceless value. They give us an idea 
of the style, shading and coloring of the ancients, and many of 
them are beautifully designed and richly executed, including 
animal life, landscapes, fruit pieces, designs for architecture, 
historical and mythological subjects. They were painted be- 
tween A. D. 63, and A. D. 79. The sculpture and bronze are 
exceedingly fine. We studied carefully the celebrated colossal 
marble group of the Farnese Bull. Two strong young men are 
engaged in tying a helpless woman to the horns of a furious bull, 
which is plunging violently, and in the background stands a 
female figure. The story which it represents is as follows: 
"The two sons of Antiope, Amphion and Zethus, avenge the 
wrongs of their mother by binding Dirce, who had treated her 
with the greatest cruelty for many years; to the horns of a wild 
bull. Antiope in the background entreats them to forgiveness." 
Near this group stands the so-called Farnese Hercules. They 
both belonged formerly to the Farnese family. There are three 
rooms filled with books and papers, scrolls rolled up that were 
burned black at Pompeii and Herculaneum, and are now being 
carefully unrolled by a chemical process, and the writing on 
them read and transcribed into a book. They are then hung 
around the walls of the room for exhibition. We saw a bracelet, 
pair of ear-rings and chain, found on a female skeleton at 



52 POMPEII. 

Pompeii. In this museum are hundreds of bottles from drug- 
shops, fruits, raisins, prunes, walnuts, honey, bread, meat, sugar, 
eggs, fish, wheat, coffee, all found at Pompeii. Think of them 
being so securely locked up for seventeen centuries. In addition 
to these ancient relics the museum is rich in books and manu- 
scripts, modern paintings, an extensive and valuable collection 
of handsome vases of immense proportions, exquisitely painted, 
mosaics, gold and silver ornaments, and gems; altogether too 
much for one pair of eyes to take in. 

About eight o'clock one morning we took train for Pompeii, 
a distance of fifteen miles. We became almost feverish with ex- 
citement, and the train did not run half fast enough to suit us, 
for we were on our way to see that wonderful city that had been 
buried for seventeen centuries. And when we were actually 
within its walls, we felt like holding our breath and treading 
softly. The earliest record that we can gather from history of 
Pompeii is B. C. 310. It was once a prosperous city of thirty 
thousand inhabitants. On the twenty-fourth of August, in the 
year A. D. 79, by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii was 
covered with a shower of ashes three feet deep. The ashes were 
followed by a shower of red-hot pumice stones of all sizes; then 
ashes again, and so on until the mass was about twenty feet 
thick. Excavations have been made from time to time, but 
during the middle ages Pompeii was entirely unknown. In the 
years intervening between 1861 and 1872 there were found 
eighty-seven human skeletons, and those of three dogs and seven 
horses. The whole number of those who perished is estimated 
at two thousand. An average number of eighty men are con- 
stantly employed in excavating. They watch visitors with a 
jealous eye, for fear they may discover and pick up anything 
valuable. We saw a bed-room that had only been excavated four 
days, and a skeleton that was found only six months before. It is 
estimated that if the work progresses at the present rate, the com- 
plete excavation will take seventy years longer. Only about one- 
third of the town is unearthed at present; but it is probably the 
most important part, as it includes the principal public buildings. 



POMPEII. 53 

We took a guide to show us through the ruins, and there we 
walked all the forenoon, looking at these old, old things of the 
past. The movable objects found, as well as the most important 
frescoes, have been removed to the museum at Naples, as they 
would soon be ruined by exposure to the sun and rain. How- 
ever, quite a number of the frescoed walls remain, so one can 
get an idea of what it once was; also some beautiful fountains 
in mosaic work, marble statuary, etc. One of the old wells has 
been cleaned out, and the water found to be sweet and pure ; so 
we had our guide draw up a pail full, and after he had tested it, 
we took a good draught from this crystal fountain. Think of 
drinking from a well seventeen hundred years old! The streets 
are straight and narrow, about twenty-four feet wide, and some 
only fourteen feet ; but they are well paved with blocks of lava, 
and have a very narrow pavement for foot-passengers, about 
twelve inches higher than the carriage road. At street corners 
are public fountains ornamented with the head of a god, lion, 
flowers, etc. 

The houses are built of brick with corner-blocks of stone, and 
by the staircases it is plain to be seen that they were generally 
two or three stories high, although they are roofless. They are 
built with an open court in the centre, and the side facing the 
street was usually occupied by merchants and shopkeepers. All 
their best rooms were on the ground floor, and the servants or 
slaves occupied the upper floor. Many of the business places 
are recognizable by the signs painted on the front of the build- 
ing. Thus two men carrying a large jug indicated a wine shop, 
a goat signified that milk could be bought within, a man whip- 
ping a boy, indicated a schoolroom, and houses of ill-fame are 
even marked with an indelicate figure over the door. Vice is 
as old as the world ! 

We went into the Basilica, the Temple of Venus, the Forum, 
Temple of Mercury, Temple of Jupiter. We ascended to the 
top of the latter by a flight of steps, where we had a fine pano- 
rama of Pompeii, with its ruined walls, broken columns, and 
grand old Mount Vesuvius, her destroyer, over yonder, quietly 



54 POMPEII. 

puffing out its smoke, looking down upon her in the most com- 
placent manner. On we went to the Pantheon, the Triumphal 
Arch, the bathing-houses — -these are in quite good preservation, 
with some of the ceilings complete ; the Temple of Isis, the 
Great Theatre, the Forum Triangulare. In a chamber in this 
theatre, used as a prison, were found three skeletons with iron 
stocks for the feet. Sixty-three persons in all were destroyed in 
this building. The Amphitheatre was begun seventy years 
before Christ, and would seat twenty thousand spectators. We 
also peeped into the houses of Homer, the tragic poet, Sallust 
and Cicero. Whether these old fellows of Latin lore ever lived 
here, I don't know; but that is what the guides say. Perhaps 
the house of Diomedes is as interesting as any building we ex- 
plored. Allow me to quote its description by another: "A 
flight of steps with two columns leads at once to the peristyle of 
fourteen Doric columns, whence the bath is entered to the left. 
Opposite are terraces, which rise above the second and lower 
portion of the house. The garden, one hundred and seven feet 
square, with a basin for a fountain in the centre, is surrounded 
by a colonnade. From the terrace a staircase descends to the 
left (another, from the entrance from the street, to the right). 
Below this colonnade, on three sides, lies a vaulted cellar, lighted 
by small apertures above, and approached by staircases de- 
scending at each end. Seventeen bodies of women and chil- 
dren, who had provided themselves with food and sought pro- 
tection in this vault against the eruption, were found here. But 
impalpable ashes penetrated through the openings into the 
interior, and too late the ill-fated party attempted to escape. 
They were found with their heads wrapped up, half-buried in 
the ashes. The probable proprietor of the house was found near 
the garden door, with the key in his hand, and beside him a 
slave with money and valuables." 

We explored soap factories, dyers' establishments, taverns, 
mills, bakeries, butcher-shops, stores, surgeons' offices, drug 
stores, and many private residences, with handsome mosaic 
floors. We walked through the Street of the Tombs, as it was 



MOUNT VESUVIUS. 55 

their custom to bury the dead in vaults by the side of the high- 
way. A small museum has been erected here, where are in 
glass cases the bodies of eight persons found in the ruins. 
Although the flesh had decayed, the forms remained imprinted 
on the ashes, which afterwards hardened. The bones were care- 
fully removed and the cavities filled with plaster by an artist, 
and with the aid of the impression on the ashes, he has suc- 
ceeded in preserving the figures and attitudes of the deceased. 
Here is a young girl with a ring on her finger, a man lying on 
his face, another on his side, two women, one much larger than 
the other, locked in each other's arms, probably mother and 
daughter, sharing their dreadful fate together. Here are also 
skeletons of cats, dogs, chickens and horses, loaves of bread 
found in brick ovens, etc. A cold shudder crept over me as I 
thought of the past, and pictured in my mind the horrible 
catastrophe which wiped out this city in a day. Will the last 
Great Day be anything like that? 

At Pompeii we engaged three horses, a guide who could speak 
a few words of English, two Italian boys to lead our horses, and 
proceeded to ascend Mount Vesuvius. As usual, they allowed 
me to take my pick, and I chose a little gray pony, which 
proved to be a plucky little fellow, though not at all vicious. 
Miss Camp selected a brown horse of more style, which soon 
gave us an exhibition of his expertness in kicking. Mr. Culler's 
horse was quite frisky, and was anxious to make the journey as 
soon as possible. After about half an hour's ride we came to a 
small village, which had evidently suffered from an eruption, 
filled with dilapidated houses, and dirty, lazy people. Our 
guide took our horses by the bits and stopped them in front of a 
little public house. The proprietor immediately came out with 
wines, and expected us to buy. We shook our heads. They in- 
sisted ; the guide telling us that we could not make the ascent 
without a stimulant. We positively declined. Then the guide 
wished us to treat him. "No," said my husband, "I don't 
drink myself, and I won't give any man money to buy liquor 
with." 



56 MOUNT VESUVIUS. 

After some parley we again proceeded, and I thought, "Well, 
this is the last spot on earth I should select for a dwelling place 
— at the foot of this burning mountain." But the human race> 
with their different habits and dispositions, will live anywhere 
and call it home. Some live in houses of ice and snow, in Lap- 
land's dreary clime; the Chinese have their little floating houses 
on the water; some live in "dug-outs" in Kansas ; some live on 
snow-capped mountains; others in coal mines; and some dare to 
live on the side of old Vesuvius, in the very shadow of its smoke, 
within sound of its mutterings ! 

For some time we rode through luxurious vineyards; then 
came ashes. Our Italian boys, seeing we could manage our 
horses tolerably well, let go the bridle and walked by the side. 
Mr. Culler's horse dashed off on a keen trot. Miss Camp, 
being a good horsewoman, sat erect in her saddle, and followed 
hard behind, pausing occasionally for her horse to give a few vig- 
orous kicks, of which I had the full benefit, being in the rear. 
My little gray pony could not bear to be left behind, and sud- 
denly put down his head and galloped off in pursuit. Regard- 
less of my reins, I nervously clung to the horns of my saddle 
with both hands, bore down in my stirrup, and managed to keep 
my seat when not in the air — at least I did not fall to the ground. 
Our garments floated in the strong breeze. Our Italian boys, 
fearing they could not keep up, caught the ponies by the tails, 
and by dint of close application succeeded at least in heighten- 
ing the novelty and picturesqueness of the scene. The ridicu- 
lousness of the whole affair so took possession of me, that I be- 
came perfectly reckless of all clanger, and laughed until the tears 
rolled down my cheeks. Picture it, think of it, reader, and if 
you know me you will laugh too. 

This chase was kept up for some time, until the mountain be- 
came steep and rough with the lava of 1848 and 1S68. Then, 
slowly picking our way along a winding path, sinking into the 
ashes at every step, we at last reached the point where the 
horses could go no farther, and we dismounted at the foot of the 
cone. There were three strong, wiry men, who seemed to be 



MOUNT VESUVIUS. 57 

waiting for us, and at once offered their services to pull us up 
the precipitous cone, consisting of slag and loose ashes, and 
rising at an angle of 35 . Mr. Culler, thinking himself equal 
to the task, refused assistance, but secured the services of two 
men for us ladies. I held on to a stick with both hands, to 
which a rope was attached. The guide put the rope over his 
shoulder and pulled me up, up, for one long hour. Sometimes 
we sank nearly to our knees in loose ashes. The third man, who 
was unemployed, followed us and tried in every possible way to 
force his services upon us. He would say to my husband in his 
few words of English, "Too much fatigue." Then he would 
take hold of him and try to assist him. Mr. Culler would shake 
him off, scowl, and tell him he did not want help. Then he 
would say, "Too much fatigue, lady," and point to me, immed- 
iately stepping up behind me and pushing at my back. I pushed 
him away. Then he beset Miss Camp. Meeting with no ap- 
proval from her, he began over again, and kept up a constant 
annoyance. And to add to our discomfort it set in to rain vio- 
lently. The ashes became wet and soggy, and our shoes were 
soon penetrated with the dampness. Our flannel dresses and 
heavy shawls were weighed down with moisture. Breathless with 
fatigue we toiled on. I was ahead. Mr. Culler in the rear 
called out to halt ! Overwhelmed with the thought of our cruel 
exposure to wind and rain, together with the extreme exertion 
necessary, he feared we ladies might die in the attempt to ascend, 
and for our sakes would willingly sacrifice the pleasure of gain- 
ing the summit, and thought we would better retrace our steps 
immediately. Then said Miss Camp: " Oh yes, Mrs. Culler, 
let's go back. It's wicked for us to attempt to go further." 
For a moment there was a great struggle within me between 
duty and ambition. I replied : " No I can't go back. I came all 
the way from America to see Mount Vesuvius, and I must go to 
the top. See, it's not much farther! We shall not take cold. 
This is our last chance. We shall never be here again. We 
must go up !" 

We trudged on, steeper and steeper at every step, wearily lift- 



58 MOUNT VESUVIUS. 

ing our feet, pausing at intervals for breath and courage. I 
trembled with fear lest something might happen to one of us, 
and then I should be to blame. Almost desperate, I turned 
around ; Miss Camp was resting for a minute, with face and lips 
as pale as death, with her big blue eyes cast upward in an im- 
ploring attitude, and I almost thought she would faint. My 
husband was also pale with fatigue, having received no assist- 
ance, and being constantly bored with that extra guide. I told 
Miss Camp to pull hard on her rope, and let the guide do the 
climbing. Then, fearing it might take some of Mr. Culler's 
strength to answer the frequent questions of this unfortunate 
guide, I beckoned him to me, and, laying my hand on his 
shoulder, almost too breathless to speak myself, I said, " Don't 
you dare to speak another word to my husband till we reach the 
top." He understood me. We stuck to it, and were soon walk- 
ing over the ropy-looking lava which had cooled and hardened. 
" Hurrah ! we are at the top of the cone." 
" And not likely to take cold either, for it's too hot." 
Our damp soles soon dried, and would actually have burned 
if we had not kept moving about. Here we walked over a fur- 
rowed, fissured mass of crisp, crackling lava. There were great 
crevices through which we could look down into the boiling, 
seething mass below, and cracks from which issued flames of 
fire. Our guide put in one end of his long staff, and it imme- 
diately caught fire. Sulphur fumes came up through these 
openings, which bleached the color out of my blue flannel dress 
in streaks, and nearly suffocated us. Then suddenly the smoke 
from the crater would envelop us; and, afraid of being strangled 
to death, we ladies clung to our guides, so blinded by the smoke 
that we could not see where we were' going. 

The crater changes its form after every great eruption. At 
present the cone in the crater is higher than the rim, and lateral 
openings have been made, out of which the lava escapes. From 
one of these openings the red-hot lava poured in a wide stream, 
like thick oil, or like we see red-hot iron in a foundry. We 
looked into it (but only for a moment, as it was so scorching 



MOUNT VESUVIUS. 59 

hot), and saw the seething mass and fiery flames. Our guide 
fished out some of the red-hot lava for us, pressed some pennies 
in it, and when it cooled it became as black as iron. 

There we were, four thousand feet above the city of Naples, 
and the bay with its beautiful islands, Capri and Ischia. But it 
is not the most comfortable point of observation in the world, 
and we were soon ready to start down the mountain. Our 
curiosity and ambition having been satisfied, the rain having 
abated, and the tug of war over, the descent was quite different 
from the ascent. We all took hold of hands, and went pitching 
through the ashes, knee deep, with remarkably long and rapid 
strides. Our steps or jumps must have been at least three yards 
long. 

Reaching the point where our horses were to meet us, we saw 
them a long way in the distance. While waiting for them, the 
guides invited us into a little place enclosed with a stone wall, 
and there tried to extort more money from us, our guide whom 
we took from Pompeii also siding with them. We gave the 
extra guide two francs (forty cents) for dipping out the lava 
for us, and then stoutly refused to give any more than previously 
agreed upon. 

" Fie on thee, wretches ! 'tis pity that thou livest 
To walk where any honest men resort." 

Then they insisted on our going to another town, instead of 
going back to Pompeii, to take the train for Naples. We had 
return tickets, and insisted on going back to Pompeii ; but we 
did not know the road, and were at their mercy ; and in spite of 
all we could do and say, they took us to the proposed station. 
I was uneasy every minute, for I had heard and read so much 
of the murders and robberies committed by Italian guides in 
making this excursion, that I was afraid to have Mr. Culler ride 
in the rear, as they probably knew that he carried the gold. 
However, we arrived in safety at the station. Miss Camp and I 
remained seated on our ponies while Mr. Culler and the guide 
went in to see if our tickets were good from there. We did not 



60 MOUNT VESUVIUS. 

propose to give up our horses until we knew that everything was 
straight. All the little ragged beggars in this miserable town 
gathered about us like a swarm of bees, stretching out their 
hands for money. When we refused they made all sorts of hor- 
rible faces at us, yelled and screamed, and whipped Mr. Culler's 
horse so that it jerked away from the boy who was holding it, 
and went scampering about the town. Our horses were restless, 
and we were glad when Mr. Culler came and said all was right. 

While waiting in the station for the train, we had an oppor- 
tunity to examine our shoes. The black was entirely scraped 
off, having a yellowish-red appearance, and they were burnt and 
torn shamefully. It took us just five hours to make the ascent 
and descent. It was hard work, but it paid ! However, I don't 
think I could be tempted to repeat it. 

"At the time of the eruption in 1872, a torrent of lava de- 
scended in a stream three thousand feet wide and twenty feet 
deep. At the same time, amidst terrific thundering, the crater 
poured forth huge volumes of smoke, mingled with red-hot 
stones and lava, to a height of four thousand feet; whilst clouds 
of ashes, rising to double that height, were carried by the wind 
a distance of one hundred and forty miles. It is a fact that all 
the principal volcanoes are situated near the sea or ocean ; and 
it is believed that the enormous clouds of steam generated during 
eruptions, are due to some temporary communication of the 
water with the burning liquids of the interior of the earth ; and 
that the premonitory earthquakes are occasioned by the vapors 
and gases as they expand and endeavor to find an outlet." 

On the train to Naples, an Italian gentleman, who could 
speak English with some difficulty, informed us that the way to 
get rid of beggars and guides, is to throw back the head, elevate 
the nose, and say no / We afterwards found it worked like a 
charm. We bade good-bye to Naples, and reached Rome in 
about seven hours by train. 



CHAPTER IV. 

" Rome, that sat on her seven hills, and from her throne of 
beauty ruled the world." We entered the Eternal City at half 
past ten o'clock at night, and took up our abode at the hotel 
Minerva for a stay of eleven days. This large establishment is 
situated just back of the old Pantheon, and from our room we 
could look out upon this venerable pile. Statues of the goddess 
Minerva adorn the roomy, handsome dining hall, and every 
piece of china was stamped with her graceful figure. The meals 
were excellent and bountiful, with always a good supply of lus- 
cious Italian fruit ; and the gentlemanly clerk, who could speak 
the English fluently, was no small addition to our comfort and 
enjoyment. 

Rome was founded about B. C. 750. It is built on both banks 
of the yellow, muddy Tiber, and is surrounded by a brick wall, 
fourteen miles in circumference, and fifty-five feet high. It is 
entered by twelve gates, the most important of which is the 
Porta del Popolo. The far-famed "Seven Hills," upon which 
stand the ruins of ancient Rome are the Capitoline, Quirinal, 
Viminal, Esquiline, Palatine, Aventine, and Caelius, ranging 
from one hundred and fifty-one feet to two hundred and forty- 
six feet in height. Modern Rome is principally confined to the 
plain. The modern city is divided by the Corso or principal 
street. The part bordering on the Tiber consists of narrow, 
dirty streets. The population is two hundred and eighty-five 
thousand; and more than one-third cannot read or write. 
Among the first sights which we saw in Rome was the funeral 
procession in honor of the renowned Italian statesman Gari- 
baldi, which passed through the Corso. For an hour before any- 
thing was to be seen, the street was lined with hundreds of peo- 
ple, scarcely leaving sufficient space for a team to pass. There 

(61) 



62 ROME. 

we were surrounded by people of all classes chattering in Italian, 
and anxiously looking for the procession. Suddenly there was 
a dreadful panic among the crowd, the cause of which we could 
not find out. But the people screamed and ran over each other; 
strong men were knocked down flat on their backs ; women 
and children were trampled upon. Mr. Culler managed to keep 
on his feet and keep my head from the ground, while my body 
was carried with the crowd. Twenty-eight persons were badly 
injured, some having limbs and arms broken, and others were 
jammed against the solid stone buildings. We were all terribly 
frightened. The pale faces, crying of children, and the expec- 
tation of being trampled to death, are indelibly impressed upon 
my mind. 

Finally, after two or three excitements, the people, seeing 
there was no danger, became calm, and the grand and imposing 
procession came in sight. I managed to get in a place where I 
could run at the least alarm. There was a fine display of differ- 
ent orders in rich costumes, soldiers in gay uniforms, splendid 
banners, etc., seemingly endless in number. At last came a 
magnificent funeral car, beautifully and tastefully trimmed with 
floral offerings, and on the top was a pure white marble statue 
of Garibaldi, and a gracefully-carved female figure beside him, 
placing a wreath of laurels on his brow. I have seen several 
other funeral cars, but none to compare with this. 

As the Pantheon was so near our hotel, we visited it at our 
earliest opportunity. It is the most perfect of the ancient build- 
ings of Rome, and has stood here, braving wind and storm, 
ever since twenty-seven years before the birth of Christ. This 
huge circular structure is one hundred and forty feet high, and 
one hundred and forty feet in diameter. The massive brick 
walls are twenty feet thick, and were originally covered on the 
exterior with marble and stucco ; but, having been stripped of 
this costly covering, and also of reliefs and statues, it presents a 
shabby appearance on the outside. The portico is supported 
by sixteen granite Corinthian columns, each thirteen feet in cir- 
cumference. This church has no windows, being lighted by a 



ROME. 63 

round opening twenty-eight feet in diameter in the centre of the 
dome, through which peeps the blue sky of sunny Italy. When 
it rains, of course, it comes down, but there are several holes 
made in the floor, through which it escapes. The interior of 
the dome was formerly decorated with gold leaf, but it was 
stripped of this hundreds of years ago. This edifice was built 
for a heathen temple, and there are seven empty niches in which 
used to stand the statues of the gods. It was consecrated as a 
Christian church in A. D. 609. King Victor Emmanuel, who 
died January 9, 1878, is buried here, near the high altar; and 
also Raphael, who died in 1520. Over Raphael's tomb is hung 
his first painting, a little thing about six by eight inches. It rep- 
resents three people in bed, and one saying his prayers before 
the Virgin Mary. 

We went outside and walked entirely around the building, 
looking at its old, old walls, blackened with the breath of ages, 
and yet it stands firm as a rock. Byron beautifully describes it 
in the following lines. 

" Simple, erect, severe, austere, sublime — 
Shrine of all saints and temple of all gods, 
From Jove to Jesus — spared and blest by time ; 
Looking tranquility, while falls or nods 
Arch, empire, each thing round thee, and man plods 
His way through thorns to ashes — glorious dome ! 
Shalt thou not last ? Time's scythe and tyrants' rods 
Shiver upon thee — sanctuary and home 
Of art and piety — Pantheon ! — pride of Rome." 

We walked over to the church of S. Maria Sopra Minerva, 
which stands at the right of our hotel. It is the only Gothic 
church in Rome, and is only about six hundred years old. In 
the interior is a piece of statuary by Michael Angelo, viz., 
"Christ with the Cross." The right foot is protected by a 
bronze shoe from the lips of worshipers. In one of the side 
chapels are life-size wax figures, representing Mary and Joseph 
watching over Jesus, who is represented by a wax baby in a 
cradle between them. Mary is dressed in a blue delaine suit, 



64 ROME. 

with jewelry, etc. We saw several poor deluded people kneel 
down and pray to these images. 

Cab fare is very cheap in Rome, and it is well for tourists that 
it is; for we found it too warm and fatiguing to do much walk- 
ing, and besides the streets in some parts are so exceedingly 
narrow and crooked, and running at all angles, that a stranger 
would soon lose his reckonings. I came to the conclusion that 
they must have put up the buildings first, and then made the 
streets to run between them. Little, cavern-like holes of shops 
occupy the ground floor of the houses. Some of them which I 
peeped into I am sure could not have been more than six by ten 
feet in size. They looked something like bears' dens, filled with 
fruits and vegetables ; and the slovenly women, with uncombed 
hair, who kept them, did not add to their attractiveness. 

We engaged a cabman to take us to St. Peter's. We crossed 
the Tiber over a handsome bridge, borne by five arches, and 
adorned with ten colossal marble statues eleven feet high. Di- 
rectly in front of us rises the castle of St. Angelo or tomb of 
Hadrian. It is a massive stone monument, in the form of a cyl- 
inder, and is nine hundred and eighty-seven feet in circumfer- 
ence. On the summit is a bronze figure of the arch-angel 
Michael, with his flaming sword. Beneath is a large clock. 
This structure is more than sixteen hundred years old. From 
the time of Hadrian to Septimus Severus, all the emperors and 
their familes were interred here. Since 537 it has been used as 
a fortress. The celebrated Beatrice Cenci, whose beautiful face 
we have so often seen portrayed, is said to have been imprisoned 
in one of its dungeons. 

There was a grand display of fireworks from the summit ot 
this castle one evening, a general public jubilee, something like 
our "Fourth of July;" but it was on Sabbath night, so we did 
not go to witness it. We were soon in sight of St. Peter's, and 
recognized it immediately from the many pictures we had seen 
of it. In front is a grand piazza or elliptical space enclosed by 
the extended arms of the church, or colonnades branching out 
from each side of the facade, sort of sickle-shaped. These col- 



ROME. 65 

onnades are one thousand one hundred and ten feet long, and 
each contains four series of Doric columns, in all numbering two 
hundred and eighty-four; forming three covered passages; the 
middle one being wide enough for two carriages abreast; and 
on the roofs are one hundred and sixty-two statues of saints. In 
the centre of this open space stands the great red obelisk, which 
weighs five hundred tons: brought from Heliopolis, and is the 
only- monument of the kind at Rome which has never been 
thrown down. On each side of the obelisk is a lovely fountain, 
which throws up its sparkling water in graceful curves to be 
caught in a marble basin. The effect of the whole seems very 
appropriate for the entrance to the largest and most imposing 
church in the world. St. Peter's stands on the site of the circus 
of Nero, where many Christians were martyred, and where St. 
Peter is said to have been buried after his crucifixion. The 
present edifice was begun in 1506 and finished in 1626. Its 
area is twenty-six thousand one hundred and sixty-three square 
yards. The facade is surmounted with statues of the Saviour 
and apostles, nineteen feet in height. The portico, two hun- 
dred and thirty-four feet long, is sumptuously decorated, and 
has equestrian statues at the ends. The church is built in the 
form of a cross, with nave, aisles and transepts. The length of 
the interior, including the portico, is six hundred and ninety-six 
feet. The height of the nave is one hundred and fifty feet; and 
the dome (constructed by Michael Angelo) from the pavement 
to the top of the cross is four hundred and thirty-five feet high. 
Emerson says : 

" The hand that rounded Peter's dome 
And groined the aisles of Christian Rome 
Wrought in a sad sincerity — 
Himself from God he could not free — 
He builded better than he knew — 
The conscious stone to beauty grew." 

Beneath the dome rises the grand bronze canopy borne by 
four spiral columns, magnificently gilded. Under the canopy 
is the high altar, where the pope reads mass on high festivals, 

5 



66 ROME. 

and stands directly over the tomb of St. Peter. The church 
contains thirty altars and one hundred and forty-eight columns. 
The confessio is surrounded by eighty-nine lamps, which are 
kept burning constantly. The descent to it is by a double flight 
of marble stairs, and between the two flights is the statue of Pius 
VI., kneeling. The church has chapels on each side of the 
nave, the whole length, containing beautiful statuary. In one 
is an admirable group of Michael AngelO's, carved by him when 
he was twenty-four years old. It represents the Virgin with the 
dead body of the Saviour on her knees. Under the stupendous 
arches are many monuments to the different popes of Rome — of 
the same general character, elegant in design and workmanship. 
One is a monument to Gregory XIII., the rectifier of the calen- 
dar. In the nave, seated on a white marble throne, is a bronze 
life-size figure of St. Peter, holding the inevitable key in one 
hand, and the other is raised in the attitude of bestowing a bless- 
ing. The right foot is considerably worn away by being so fre- 
quently kissed by devotees. This bronze figure was made in the 
fifth century. I saw a man approach it, and was curious enough 
to watch the performance. After kissing the toe three times, he 
crossed his forehead and passed on. 

Many fine paintings adorn the walls, among which are " Christ 
and Peter on the Water," "Peter Raising Tabitha from the 
Dead," "Healing of the Lame Man by Peter and John," "The 
Crucifixion of Peter with His Head Downwards," and also sev- 
eral good pictures in mosaic, perhaps the finest of which is a 
copy of Raphael's "Transfiguration," which is four times the 
size of the original. Over a small door of egress is " Time," a 
golden skeleton with his head partly hidden by a flowing robe 
made of brown marble, so beautifully executed that the folds are 
easy and graceful. The bony legs extend into the doorway. It 
is wonderful. 

There are confessionals for eleven different languages, where 
the sinners confess, and the priest claims to pardon their sins. 
At the different altars were priests busily engaged in their relig- 
ious rites and ceremonies, which were meaningless to us. A 



ROME. 67 

little page lifted up the long white robe of a priest, and rang a 
bell under it. Was it to drive away Satan ? We were charmed 
with the pope's choir, a male quartette, accompanied with the 
full, rich tones of the pipe organ. The musical strains sweeping 
through the lofty arches of this grand cathedral reached the re- 
motest recesses as a sweet refrain, or a gentle echo*. 

There are no seats of any kind in this superb edifice, and 
there is no way of heating it, and its floor is of marble wrought 
in mosaic work. I imagine that on a cold, chilly day I should 
prefer a snug little church, carpeted and heated, to all this 
wealth of papal splendor. One cannot realize the immensity of 
anything in this church unless he knows the exact measurement 
of objects. Its proportions are in such perfect harmony that 
one is easily deceived. For instance, as we stood beneath the 
dome, gorgeously decorated with mosaic pictures, gazing up at 
its beauty, the inscription running around it appears to be com- 
posed of ordinary-sized letters, but those letters are actually six 
feet high. The infant cherubs that support the basin of holy 
water, wrought in the shape of a pretty shell (which is near the 
entrance), are really giants in size. And thus it is with every- 
thing. 

We pushed aside the heavy leathern curtain (which hangs be- 
fore the open doors of the cathedrals of Europe) and passed out 
into the sunlight once more, overawed with the solemn grandeur, 
and marveling at the enormous sum of money that this structure 
cost, viz.: fifty million dollars; and its running expenses are 
about thirty-seven thousand five hundred dollars per annum. 
But when we think that in 15 17, Pope Leo X., needing large 
sums of money to complete St. Peter's, authorized the sale of 
indulgences for the commission and pardon of sins, and a notor- 
ious Dominican monk, John Tetzel, went through parts of Ger- 
many carrying on this nefarious traffic from town to town, it 
takes away half its glory. 

Having obtained a permit to visit the Vatican, the largest 
palace in the world, containing eleven thousand rooms, the 
greater number of which are occupied as a museum, and the re- 



68 ROME. 

mainder by the papal court, we entered at the end of the right 
colonnade of the piazza of St. Peter's; passed the Swiss guard, 
whose pretty gay uniforms called forth our admiration, and 
ascended the Scala Regia, a grand flight of stairs, each step 
being about two feet wide, and the risers not more than four 
inches, making the ascent very easy. Would that all the stair- 
cases in Europe were like this ! At a door on the right we 
entered the world-renowned Sistine Chapel. The upper parts of 
the walls of this chapel are decorated with frescoes by Floren- 
tine masters of the fifteenth century. The ceiling is painted by 
Michael Angelo. It is divided into sections. First, God 
Almighty is represented in the form of a man, who with the 
motion of his arms separates light from darkness. Second, 
He creates the sun and moon. Third, He commands the waters 
to bring forth fish, etc. Fourth, The creation of man. Fifth, 
God takes Eve from Adam's side. Sixth, Satan tempts Eve. 
Seventh, The sacrifice of Cain and Abel. Eighth, The flood. 
Ninth, The drunkenness of Noah. These pictures are simply 
marvelous ! and the more you study them the more fascinating 
they become, as you think the thoughts of the artist after him. 
Nearly thirty years after completing the ceiling, Michael Angelo 
painted on the altar wall the Last Judgment, reaching from the 
floor to the ceiling, and sixty-four feet in width. The light is 
very unfavorable for this picture, and it has become faded and 
dim with age. In the upper part are groups of angels, with the 
cross on which Christ suffered, and the column at which he was 
scourged. In the centre are Christ and Mary surrounded by 
the blessed. Beneath are the rising dead, breaking from their 
graves at the sound of the trumpet. On the right, the saints are 
supported by angels, and those on the left strive in vain to rise. 
At the bottom is hell, where people are writhing in a lake of 
fire. A boat is full of miserable wretches, and the boatman, 
Charon, is driving them overboard with his paddle, where an 
expectant group of demons encircles them "with many a scaly 
fold." 

We ascended another flight of stairs, and passed through the 



ROME. 69 

several rooms in the department called Raphael's Stanze. Of 
the beautiful frescoes here displayed, it is stated in history that 
"They are unquestionably the foremost among the creations ot 
the master, and are unrivalled by any modern works of art in 
existence, except the ceiling paintings in the Sistine Chapel. 
Among all this wealth of pictures representing allegorical and 
mythological subjects and Bible history, the one which most 
completely captivated me was the "Liberation of Peter; " repre- 
senting his deliverance from prison, in three sections. The 
centre scene is Peter in the dungeon, sleeping between the sol- 
diers, his wrists chained fast to both of them, and awakened by 
the angel. The armor of the soldiers glistens in the bright, 
shining, heavenly light which encircles the angel. On the 
other side of the dungeon, through a grated window, flashes the 
red torch-light of the guard without, and the pale beams of the 
moon add their feeble light, enhancing the artistic effect. On 
the right he is conducted away; and on the left the watchmen 
awake. It is indescribably beautiful, and so natural that I 
caught myself holding my breath lest the soldiers might awake 
before Peter made his escape. 

Raphael's Loggie is a long hall, with scarcely anything left 
on the walls, but the ceiling is elegantly frescoed. Each of the 
thirteen sections of the vaulting contains four square pictures, 
which taken as a whole are called Raphael's Bible. It contains 
forty-eight scenes from the Old Testament, and four from the 
New. A Bible student can readily read the "Stories of Old" 
by looking up at these wonderfully graphic and handsome paint- 
ings. The four from the New Testament are the Adoration of 
the Shepherds, the Wise men from the East, Baptism of Christ, 
and the Last Supper. 

Climbing another flight of stairs, we reached what is called 
the Picture Gallery of the Vatican. This, excepting the Borghese 
Gallery, is the most important collection of pictures in Rome, 
occupying four rooms only, but the works are very choice and 
select. I will mention those which I gazed upon the longest, 
ever finding some new beauty to admire : The Dead Christ, 



70 ROME. 

with Mary Magdalene annointing his wounds, by Giov. Bellini; 
Communion of St. Jerome, one of the best works of Dome- 
nichino; the last great work of Raphael, The Transfiguration, 
which is certainly wonderful. The expression of the faces, at- 
titude, form, coloring ; all are perfect. Beneath this picture the 
artist's body lay in state before his funeral. This Bible story is 
here minutely and thrillingly told on canvas, "Jesus taketh 
Peter, James, and John, his brother, and bringeth them up into 
a high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them ; and 
his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the 
light. And behold there appeared unto them Moses and Elias 
talking with him. A bright cloud overshadowed them; and be- 
hold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved son, 
in whom I am well pleased ; hear ye him. And when the disciples 
heard it they fell on their face, and were sore afraid." At the 
foot of the mount are a multitude of people, and prominent 
among them is the father presenting his lunatic child to the dis- 
ciples to be healed of them. The demented expression of the 
boy's face, and the anxious entreaty of the father's countenance, 
speak a volume of sorrow. 

Twenty centuries after this scene was enacted on Mount Tabor 
occurred the "Battle of Mount Tabor," so valiantly won by 
Napoleon Bonaparte. 

Headley poetically says : "Can there be a stranger contrast 
than the battle and the transfiguration of Mount Tabor? 
One shudders to think of Bonaparte and the Son of God on the 
same mountain ; one with his wasting cannon by his side, and 
the other with Moses and Elias just from heaven. But no after 
desecration can destroy the first consecration of Mount Tabor; 
for baptized with the glory of heaven, and honored with the 
wondrous scene of the transfiguration, it stands a sacred moun- 
tain on the earth." 

A fourth enchanting picture is the Madonna of Foligno, with 
the town of Foligno in the background, by Raphael ; also the 
Coronation of the Virgin, by the same master; The Entomb- 
ment, one of the ablest works of the naturalistic school, by 



ROMF. 71 

Caravaggio; the Doge of Venice, by Titian, and the Crucifixion 
of St. Peter, by Guido Reni. 

In order to reach the Museum of Statues, we were required to 
descend to the piazza and go around St. Peter's to another en- 
trance of the Vatican, which proved to be such a long, warm 
walk that we were wiser the next day, and hired a cab at the 
door of St. Peter's. 

Just think of a church covering so much space that one must 
hire a carriage to go around it. 

In one of the Pope's apartments of the Vatican, on the 
ground floor, we saw three golden chariots belonging to the 
Pope ; and saddles and harness rich with splendor. 

The Vatican collection of antiquities, the finest in the world, 
consists of the Museo Pio Clementino, Museo Gregoriano, Museo 
Chiaramonti, Braccio Nuovo, Egyptian Museum, and Raphael's 
Tapestry. There are more than one thousand pieces of sculp- 
ture in these museums ; but we shall confine ourselves to the 
mention of a very few. 

We had proceeded but a short distance, when our attention 
was drawn to a lovely basket of flowers wrought in mosaic work 
on the floor. The arrangement of buds, blossoms, and leaves 
displays rare taste and artistic skill. And in another room an 
admirable circular piece of mosaic nearly covers the floor. We 
were captivated with a two-horse chariot, or Biga, it is called, 
drawn by spirited horses, exquisitely chiseled out of snowy 
marble. The body of the chariot, which was used for centuries 
as an Episcopal throne in St. Mark's Church in Rome, is richly 
adorned with leaves and scroll work. Lions' heads form the 
hubs of the wheels, and the pole has a ram's head at the end. 
The horses are standing on their hind legs, as if restless to be 
off. The colossal group representing the river Nile, consists of 
a man of giant proportions, half reclining, with one arm resting 
upon a sphynx. Sixteen cute, chubby little babies are clamber- 
ing over him ; one is cunningly perched on his shoulder, pulling 
his ear ; another poised on his thigh ; others clinging to his 
arms and legs, and one dear little dot, with folded arms, is 



72 ROME. 

plunged to his waist in a cornucopia of grapes. The sixteen 
children are emblematic of the sixteen yards which the river 
Nile rises. Hercules looms up before us, a statue twelve feet 
high in gilded bronze, found in 1864 near the theatre at Pom- 
peii. He is leaning upon his club, with a lion's skin thrown 
over his arm. But the one group of statuary we desired to see 
most of all in this collection was the Laocoon, the great wonder- 
ful original ! It was found in the ruins of the Palace of Titus 
in 1506, and, according to Pliny, was executed by the three 
Rhodians, Agesander, Polydorus and Athenodorus. This 
famous group represents Laocoon, with his two sons, strangled by 
serpents. The intense agony depicted upon the countenances, 
the strain of the muscles, the contortion of the bodies, seem so 
true to nature that no wonder Michael Angelo termed it "a 
marvel of art." According to classic legend, "Laocoon was a 
priest of Apollo, who in vain warned his countrymen of the de- 
ceit practiced by the Greeks in their pretended offering of the 
wooden horse to Minerva, and was destroyed, along with his two 
sons, by two enormous serpents, which came from the sea. They 
first fastened on his children, and when he attempted to rescue 
them, involved himself in their coils." 

In the midst of this vast wilderness of statuary, possessing 
beauties beyond description, «one scarcely knows which to study 
most. Here is a beautifully-draped statue ; a bearded Bacchus, 
and an effeminate Bacchus ; Ephesian Diana, from the villa of 
Hadrian; a female runner from the same place, with banged 
hair (aped by the girls of the present generation); bust of Zeus, 
the finest in existence; Posid ; the goddess Minerva, crowned 
with the familiar helmet ; Posidippus and Menander, comic 
dramatists seated in easy chairs; Saturn; head of Menelaus ; 
torso of Hercules, dating back to the first century B. C, and 
found in the sixteenth century near the theatre at Pompeii ; torso 
of an archaic Penelope, in a sitting posture of fine workman- 
ship; a head of Neptune; Venus; a drowsy spinster; bow-bend- 
ing Cupid; Tiberius, a colossal sitting figure; daughter of 
Niobe; Augustus; Mercury; Apoxyomenos, an athlete cleaning 



ROME. 



73 



his right arm with a scraping-iron. Here, also, we saw two 
large sarcophagi in porphyry, of the daughter and mother of Con- 
stantine the Great; a colossal camel's head, formerly used as the 
aperture of a fountain ; a magnificent basin of porphyry, twenty 
feet across and four feet deep, brought from the baths of Diocle- 
tian ; the Barberini Candelabra, found in Hadrian's villa; a 
wind indicator, found in 1779, near the Colosseum; a fine, large 
basin of delicately-tinted marble, and one of alabaster; sarco- 
phagus of L. Cornelius Scipio Barbatus, great grandfather of the 
illustrious Africanus, and consul B. C. 298. The Etruscan De- 
partment contains twelve rooms of antiquities excavated about 
fifty years ago in the Etruscan cities of Vulci, Toscanella and 
Chiusi. Four of these rooms are filled with vases, ornamented 
with different figures, such as Achilles and Ajax playing with 
dice, in a variety of colors. One room consists of early paint- 
ings, with stiff angular-looking horses and men ; another of 
bronzes, old, rusty, mouldy things; a bronze chariot, fairly 
green with age and verdigris ; an immense bronze arm ; bronze 
kitchen utensils, etc., etc. Although repulsive to look upon, 
they form an interesting link in the history of Italian art, and 
afford information concerning the habi'ts of the almost pre- 
historic Etruscans. Here are also ancient weapons, ornaments 
and jewelry. A large glass case contains golden Etruscan jew- 
elry of all descriptions, wrought in the most delicate and elegant 
designs, something like filigree work; and no wonder that it is 
sadly in need of a thorough cleaning, for it is three thousand 
years old. A table about three feet in diameter, made of small 
pieces of stained glass, artistically arranged, from church win- 
dows found in ancient Rome, is an object of great beauty. 

Passing into the Egyptian Museum, the mummies, hiero- 
glyphics, model of a pyramid, birds, cats, dogs, beetles, idols, 
and other objects in bronze and stone, made the Roman and 
Etruscan relics seem quite modern. The mummies, as usual, 
were tightly bound with heavy linen bandages, with just the face 
and toes visible; the skin black and dried, but the teeth well 
preserved : others of greater age, with the skin entirely gone. 



74 ROME. 

The Egyptian art of thus embalming the dead is at least as old 
as two thousand years B. C. One of the earliest recorded em- 
balmments is that of the patriarch Jacob, and the body of Joseph 
was preserved as a mummy. One of the most expensive pro- 
cesses of embalming the dead was as follows: A deep incision 
was made on the left side beneath the ribs, and the entrails and 
lungs were removed ; the brain was extracted through the nose 
by means of a crooked instrument ; the cavity of the body was 
filled with resins, cassia, and other substances, and the incision 
stitched up ; peculiar drugs were passed through the nostrils into 
the skull. The mummy was then steeped in a native carbonate 
of soda for seventy days, then tightly wrapped up in linen, band- 
ages, cemented by gums, and set upright in a wooden or stone 
coffin, the cost of which was more than three thousand dollars. 
I should think it would be a miracle if they did not keep, after 
such a pickling. "The Egyptians thought that the preserva- 
tion of the body was necessary for the return of the soul to the 
human form after it had completed its cycle of existence, of 
three or ten thousand years." How strong the faith of this 
heathen nation, even in its darkness, in the immortality of the 
soul, and how earnest "the efforts to save it ! 

We did not inspect the library of the Vatican, as there is too 
much to be seen in this wonderful palace without poring over 
musty books and manuscripts, even though one had the oppor- 
tunity. 

In order to satisfy the curiosity of my readers, I will here state 
that we did not see the Pope. We had but one opportunity of 
being admitted into his presence, with a large party, and missed 
that. It was no great disappointment, however. I suppose he 
is made of flesh and blood, like other people, walks, eats and 
sleeps; and, no doubt, closely resembles the other inhabitants 
of the earth in many points, if not all. 

We were delighted with Raphael's tapestry, executed from 
cartoons drawn by Raphael in 15 15 and 15 16. Each piece of 
this tapestry, wrought at Brussels, with marked skill, in wool, 
silk and gold, cost about three thousand five hundred dollars. 



ROME. 75 

They are the most wonderful things I ever beheld in the form of 
tapestry. The whole looks like a beautiful oil painting, so per- 
fect are the tints, forms and shading. Even the veins, muscles, 
wrinkles, clouds, mountains, foliage, expression — all are fault- 
less ! These pictures are perhaps twenty by eighteen feet in size. 
The principal scenes represent the Conversion of St. Paul ; The 
people of Lystra about to offer sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas ; 
St. Paul healing the lame man in the temple ; Paul preaching at 
Athens; Miraculous draught of fishes; St. Peter receiving the 
keys ; Slaughter of the Innocents, in three large pictures ; Death 
of Ananias; Christ appearing to Mary Magdalene ; The supper 
at Emmaus ; Presentation of Christ in the temple ; Adoration 
of the Magi ; Resurrection ; Adoration of the Shepherds ; As- 
cension ; Stoning of Stephen ; Religion between Justice and 
Mercy ; Descent of the Holy Ghost, and Paul in Prison at 
Philippi. 

Having seen the principal sights of the Vatican, knowing how 
utterly foolish it was to try to take in everything, we turned our 
attention in another direction. 

We were in Rome two Sabbaths and attended services in St. 
Paul's American Episcopal Church, there being no church of 
our own denomination in the place. 

One bright beautiful morning seated in an open barouche we 
were whirled off in the direction of the Colosseum. Passing 
the ruins of the Roman Forum and the Palace of the Caesars, 
at last the great, circular structure, so poetically described by- 
historians, loomed up before us, with its giant proportions, the 
largest theatre and one of the most imposing structures in the 
world. It was eight years in building, and was finished by 
Titus A. D. 80. Only about one third of the original edifice 
now remains. It is circular in form on the outside, and the 
arena is elliptical. It is built of huge blocks of stone, some of 
them five feet high and eight or ten feet long, originally held 
together by strong iron clamps. It is one third of a mile in cir- 
cumference and one hundred and fifty-six feet high. The arena 
is two hundred and seventy-nine feet by one hundred and 



76 ROME. 

seventy-four feet, and above this open space rise tiers of seats 
intersected by steps and passages, most of which are in a ruined 
condition. One side, however, is preserved sufficiently, to give 
a good idea of what it once was. At one side of the arena are 
two pillars upon which was a platform where the Emperor, sena- 
tors and vestal virgins used to sit. The first tier above them 
was occupied by the knights ; the next tier by the plebeians : 
the next by the ladies, and the upper tier by the slaves. These 
raised seats would accommodate eighty-seven thousand people. 
At one of the most perfect parts of the outside wall we could 
see four rows of columns, one above another ; the first Doric, 
the second Ionic, and the third and fourth Corinthian. In the 
arena, the bull fights took place, gladiator combats, games, and 
so on ; and Christian martyrs were forced into the arena and 
torn to pieces by ravenous wild beasts. Adjacent to the 
foundation of the inner wall were chambers and dens for wild 
beasts ; also prisons where martyrs were confined a few days 
before they were sacrificed. The wild beasts were brought to 
the Colosseum by an underground passage for some little dis- 
tance, from a sort of rocky den, which we peeped into. We 
picked up some pieces of the crumbled walls and a small brick 
from the floor, as souvenirs. Our guide who thought he could 
speak English thoroughly made the following remark as we 
were searching for some relics. " I find a piece of marble 
once on the top, and wen I finds it I gives you to it." Allow 
me to give what Dickens says about the Colosseum. "To see 
it crumbling there, an inch a year ; its walls and arches over- 
grown with green, its corridors open to the day ; the long grass 
growing in its porches ; young trees of yesterday springing up on 
its ragged parapets, and bearing fruit — chance produce of the 
seeds dropped there by the birds that build their nests within its 
chinks and crannies; to climb into its upper halls, and look 
down on ruin, ruin, ruin, all about it ; the triumphal arches of 
Constantine, Septimius Severus, and Titus, the Roman Forum, 
the Palace of the Caesars, the temples of the old religion fallen 
down and gone ; is to see the ghost of old Rome, wicked, won- 



ROME. 77 

derful old city, haunting the very ground on which its people 
trod. It is the most impressive, the most stately, the most 
solemn, grand, majestic, mournful sight conceivable." We 
clambered around wherever it was safe to go, and looking away 
down into the arena, we imagined as being enacted, some of 
the bloody scenes of which we had read ; and which occured 
here with such frequency in bygone days. Our guide whom we 
had hired for the day pointed out to us from our elevated posi- 
tion the ruins which lay scattered about us on every side. Close 
at hand are the remains of a fountain where the gladiators used 
to wash after the fights ; the Triumphal Arch of Constantine is 
also near, and is the best preserved structure of the kind, built in 
311, when Constantine boldly declared his belief in Christianity. 
Slowly and carefully we descended the stone steps and still 
lingered for a time within its old, old walls, which are silently 
crumbling with age. 

" While stands the Colosseum, Rome shall stand, 
When falls the Colosseum, Rome shall fall, 
And when Rome falls, with it shall fall the world." 

A short walk from the Colosseum is the Church of S. Pietro 
in Vincoli (St. Peter in chains) which we entered expressly to 
see the celebrated statue of Moses by Michael Angelo ; one of 
his most famous works. It is a colossal sitting figure, with 
strong muscular arms and limbs. He is represented as having 
horns, and his long flowing beard falls to his lap in graceful 
waves ; and his eyes (unlike anything I ever saw before in 
statuary) are full of expression ; they fairly speak to you. It is 
a grand ideal of the man of God, appointed to lead the chosen 
people out of bondage, through the Red Sea, and the long weary 
journeys of the wilderness, even to the borders of the Promised 
Land 

" Statue ! whose giant limbs 

Old Buonarotti planned, 

And Genius carved with meditative hand, — 

Thy dazzling radiance dims 

The best and brightest boasts of Sculpture's favorite land." 



78 ROME. 

" What dignity adorns 
That beard's prodigious sweep ! 
That forehead, awful with mysterious horns 
And cogitation deep, 
Of some uncommon mind the rapt beholder warns. 

" In that proud semblance, well 
My soul can recognize 

The prophet fresh from converse with the skies; 
Nor is it hard to tell 
The liberator's name — the guide of Israel." 

" Well might the deep respond 
Obedient to that voice, 

When on the Red Sea shore he waved his wand, 
And bade the tribes rejoice, 
Saved from the yawning gulf and the Egyptian's bond." 

" Fools ! in the wilderness 
Ye raised a calf of gold ! 
Had ye then worshiped what I now behold, 
Your crime had been far less — 
For ye had bent the knee to one of godlike mould !" 

We next went to take a closer inspection of the ruins of the 
Roman Forum, which in times past echoed to the sound of 
Cicero's orations, alas ! now nothing but a heap of fragments, 
with here and there a broken column, a shattered arch, and the 
site of temples marked only by a group of lonely pillars. There 
stands the arch of Septimius Severus, erected A. D. 205, and 
although badly mutilated, yet the reliefs of battles, sieges, 
marches, etc., with which it is covered, are interesting to the lover 
of history. Eight handsome granite columns are proudly stand- 
ing to mark the site of the temple of Saturn, built forty-four 
years before Christ ; the column of Phocas gracefully rises to the 
height of fifty-four feet, and those three beautiful Parian marble 
columns with their Corinthian capitals and ornamental entabla- 
ture, mark the spot where the Temple of Castor and Pollux stood. 
Three great arches belonging to one of the aisles of the Basilica 
of Constance, and the ruin of the Three Columns, or Temple of 
Venus and Roma, are silent witnesses of the past, of the splendor 
of ancient Rome. 



ROME. 79 

We passed behind the Arch of Septimius Severus and came to 
a small church at the foot of the Capitoline Hill, beneath which 
is the Mamertine Prison, one of the oldest relics of Rome, 
having been restored 22 B. C. It was originally built over a 
well, and was afterwards used as a prison. St. Peter and St. 
Paul are said to have been confined here for nine months. It 
consists of two stone apartments, one above the other. A monk 
who has charge of the little church, provided us with candles and 
led the way down a flight of stone steps into the dark dungeon, 
where not a ray of light enters. The lower dungeon is reached 
by a little circular staircase now, and is nineteen feet long, ten 
feet wide, and six and one-half feet high ; the roof is formed by 
the gradual projection of the side walls until they meet, and in 
the centre of the ceiling is a round hole where the prisoners were 
thrust down. It seemed horrible to be away down there in that 
dark dungeon groping our way about with our little candles and 
thinking how Jugurtha starved to death here in this cheerless, 
comfortless hole, after being deprived of food for six days, and 
how many days and nights of solitary gloom had been passed 
here by many others. Following our guide we held our candles 
close to the wall and there saw the busts of Peter and Paul ; and 
in one corner is a well with nothing to protect one from inad- 
vertently stepping into it. The guide drew up some water and 
we tasted it after him. Near the spring on the wall is a bronze 
relief illustrating the legend that the disciples miraculously 
caused the water to flow in order to baptize the jailor. Whether 
it be a fact or only a legend that the apostles were imprisoned 
here, it was thrilling to think that I was walking over the very 
floor which, perhaps, Peter's feet had pressed — he who had so 
often walked with Jesus. 

From here we went to the Capitol, approached by a grand 
staircase, at the foot of which are two lions of Egyptian por- 
phyry, and at its head the ancient colossal statues of Castor and 
Pollux. At the left of the steps are a pair of caged wolves, 
kept in reminiscence of the story that Romulus and Remus, the 
founders of Rome, were suckled by a wolf. In the centre of the 



80 ROME. 

open space or square between the buildings is the renowned 
statue of Marcus Aurelius, " the only perfect, ancient, equestrian 
statue in existence." On the right is the Palace of the Conser- 
vatory on the left the Museum of the Capitol, and on the third 
side of the square is the palace of the Senators. The bell in 
the tower of the latter is only rung at the opening of the Carni- 
val, or when a pope dies. We first entered the museum, filled 
with very fine statuary. Here we found the celebrated Dying 
Gladiator, to which Byron so touchingly refers in his Childe 
Harold. One room is filled with statues of philosophers, an- 
other with busts of emperors, Victor Immanuel, Dante, Colum- 
bus and Galileo are also here. The room of the Doves is so 
called from the mosaic picture on the wall, of some doves sitting 
on the edge of a vase, drinking and pluming themselves. It is 
mentioned by Pliny, and is certainly very pretty. You may see 
scores of copies of it on mosaic breastpins in the jewelers windows 
in Rome. The Capitoline Venus is an admirable piece of statuary. 

We crossed the square to the Palace of the Conservatori, 
where we walked through two rooms with modern lists of Roman 
magistrates, then through a long corridor containing a collection 
of busts of celebrated Italians — scholars, painters, architects, 
sculptors, and poets. One room was filled with all kinds of 
bronze utensils ; another with terra cottas (pitchers, jars, lamps, 
etc.) Among the bronzes is the Capitoline Wolf, with Romu- 
lus and Remus, supposed to have been in existence as early as 
296 B. C. ; and the Thorn Extractor, a boy removing a thorn 
from his foot, which brought to mind the scenes of country- 
school scholars extracting thistles. 

The Picture Gallery, though not extensive, has some very good 
pictures, one of the most striking' of which is St. Petronella 
raised from her tomb and shown to her bridegroom. 

The Tarpeian Rock, from which the ancient Romans used to 
hurl the condemned, is on this hill, and proved quite a disap- 
pointment, as it is nothing more than a high stone wall with a 
dirty street at the bottom. I had my mind made up for a for- 
midable, projecting rock, yawning precipice, etc. 



ROME. 8 1 

On our way home we stopped to look at the outside of the 
Theatre of Marcellus, which dates back to 13 B. C. It is 
something after the style of the Colosseum, and accommodated 
twenty thousand spectators. Twelve arches of the outer wall 
are now occupied by blacksmith and other shops. As you look 
in and see the flaming forge under one of the arches of this 
massive stone building, it looks like a little fire-place with an 
enormous mantel-piece. But an Italian just wants room enough 
to turn around in, in a shop. It's astonishing what small quar- 
ters a cobbler can be happy in. I have seen them under a little 
shanty with the roof scarcely high enough to accommodate 
them when sitting, something like a dog-kennel. 

Our next drive was to Piazza di S. Giovanni, in Laterano. 
On the east side of this public square is a small building con- 
taining the Scala Santa, or Holy Stairs. At the foot of this 
staircase, which is very wide, is a piece of statuary representing 
Christ before Pilate, on one side ; and on the other, Judas be- 
traying Christ with a kiss, holding his bag of money behind 
him. These stairs consist of twenty-eight marble steps, now 
covered with wood to protect them, and can only be ascended 
by penitents on their knees. Here and there are round holes in 
the wood, exposing a portion of the marble. We watched two 
elderly women ascend these stairs on their knees, and kiss these 
spots of marble as they came to them ; and when they painfully 
reached the top they kissed the floor where is a figure of Christ 
with the wounds in his side, hands, and feet. On the wall, at 
the top of the stairs is a picture of Christ on the cross. These 
marble steps were brought from Jerusalem to Rome in the year 
326, and are said to have belonged to Pilate's house, and to have 
been ascended by Jesus. There are two other staircases, one on 
either side of the Holy Stairs where people may walk up and 
where the worshipers descend. We walked up and entered a 
small Gothic chapel, formerly the private chapel of the Pope. 
I pitied those two old ladies, and felt so indignant at the priest 
who sat at the bottom, that if I could have spoken Italian I 
know I should have told them that Christ was not pleased by 
6 



82 ROME. 

their torturing their bodies in that manner. Each person who 
visits the Holy Stairs may purchase a copy of the following 
tract of the priest; and I give it that you may see how they mis- 
lead the, ignorant, viz : 

"Onoof the most sacred remembrances of the Passion of our 
Lord Jesus Christ is certainly the Holy Stairs, worthy of the ven- 
eration of all Christians, since they were mounted so many 
times by our Divine Redeemer, and sanctified by his precious 
blood during the last hours of his life." 

"These stairs, brought from Jerusalem to Rome, under the 
protection of the Empress Helena, about the year 326, and 
placed in the chapel called Santa Sanctorum, universally cele- 
brated, have at all times been much frequented by both sexes, of 
every class, who mount the steps on their knees." "To en- 
gage more particularly Christians to accomplish this act of devo- 
tion, so precious and useful to the soul of the devout, St. Leo 
IV., towards the year S50, and Pascal II., by his bull of the 5th 
of August, 1 100, first year of his election (the original bull is 
conserved in the archives of the Basilica of St. John the Lateran) 
granted nine years of indulgence for each of the twenty-eight 
steps of the aforesaid Holy Stairs, once of the Praetor's house of 
Pontius Pilate, when it will be mounted on the knee, with a con- 
trite heart, praying or meditating on the Passion of our Lord 
Jesus Christ." 

" Pius VII., by a Decree of the Holy Congregation of Indul- 
gence, September 2, 181 7, renewed this indulgence, but perpet- 
ually, and declared that it may be applied also to souls in Purga- 
tory. " Rome, 1866 — with approbation." 

In 15 10 Martin Luther was wearily climbing these stairs on 
his knees to obtain an indulgence promised by the pope, with 
rosary in hand, repeating his prayers, when his conscience whis- 
pered to him, "The just shall live by faith," and rising from 
his knees he descended. This was the decisive turning point in 
his life. In a few years after he nailed the ninety-five theses to 
the church door at Wittenberg, which was the dawn of the Ref- 
ormation. 



ROME. 83 

Just across the square we entered the church of S. Giovanni 
in Laterano (St. John Lateran). This is the fourth church 
erected on this site. The first was destroyed by an earthquake, 
and the second and third by fire. This one was erected in the 
fifteenth century. It is the church of the pope as bishop of Rome, 
and here his coronation takes place. On the facade is the follow- 
ing inscription — ' ' The mother and head of the state, and of all the 
ecclesiastical world." On each side of the nave are magnificent 
colossal statues in white marble of the twelve apostles. The 
high altar is said to contain the heads of St. Peter and St. Paul ; 
a table of wood upon which St. Paul officiated ; and behind the 
altar the table of the Last Supper. 

There are most beautiful chapels on either side of the nave. A 
family is said to have spent more than three hundred thousand 
dollars on one of these chapels. The chapel of S. Andrea Cor- 
sini is without a parallel in Rome. It is composed of the finest 
marble, with a beautiful vaulting, ancient columns, and the walls 
extravagantly inland with precious stones. A large vessel .of 
porphyry, from the portico of the Pantheon, stands in front 
of the bronze figure of Clement XII. Below this chapel, 
down a winding stair case, is the burial vault of the Corsini. 
with an exquisite Pieta. The custodian lit a lamp which hung 
in front of it and gave us a fine view of this touching and 
beautiful piece of statuary — Mary holding the dead body of 
Christ upon her lap. The expression of grief and tenderness 
on the mother's face and the limp body in her arms shows the 
wonderful skill of the artist Bernini to chisel the attitude of life 
and death out of one solid block of marble. It far surpasses 
Michael Angelo's Pieta, in St. Peter's, to my mind. Another 
chapel belonging to the Torlonia family, richly ornamented with 
marble and gilding, has a magnificent marble relief by Tenerani 
— the Descent from the Cross. A man is coming down the 
ladder which rests against the cross, with the body of Jesus in 
his arms ; Mary, the mother of Jesus, lovingly throws her arms 
about his neck, while Mary Magdalene supports his feet. The 
expression on all the faces is remarkable. Attached to this 



84 ROME. 

church is the Museum Gregorianum Lateraneuse. It was set 
apart for a museum in 1843 on account of not having any more 
space in the Vatican and Capitol. Here we saw, among other 
ancient sculptures, fine statues of Mars, Sophocles, Poseidon and 
Cato, numerous architectural fragments from the excavations of 
the Roman Forum, relics found at Ostia, a large collection of 
ancient Christian sarcophagi of the fourth and fifth centuries, 
with reliefs representing scenes from the Old and New Testa- 
ment, and one representing the story of Orestes. A mosaic 
pavement, by Heraclitus, provokes a smile the moment you look 
upon it. It represents an unswept dining-room. Scattered 
everywhere in pretty mosaic work are cherries on the stems, 
chicken and fish bones, shells, slices of lemon, and there runs a 
mouse ! It all looks so natural that a neat housekeeper immedi- 
ately wants to get the dust-pan and brush and " sweep up." We 
ascended a flight of stairs leading to a gallery, where we looked 
down upon the floor or mosaic pavement representing twenty- 
eight pugilists, which was found in the baths of Caracalla in 
1824. 

At a short distance from here is the church of S. Clemente, 
beneath which are three different layers of masonry of Christian, 
imperial and republican origin. In 1857 Father Mulloony, an 
Irish priest, began to repair the church, and in excavating, came 
upon a wall covered with very ancient paintings. He continued 
to excavate and found an underground church dating back to 
392. We descended a broad marble staircase with inscriptions 
on the wall and reached the vestibule of the lower church. 
Aided by the dim light of tapers we groped our way about. In 
places the ancient marble floor is quite well preserved, and here 
and there are frescoes on the walls,' of the fourth century, some 
of them very perfect, and others are dim. Among the frescoes 
are Christ represented as beardless; Daniel in the Lion's Den; 
Christ blessing in the Greek mode, /. e., with first, middle, and 
third fingers extended. Looking down a staircase we were 
convinced that there is still another story below the lower 
church. From all appearances this lower church was formerly 



ROME. 85 

much grander than the upper church, which is quite ordinary, 
as compared with other places of worship. 

With carriage and driver engaged for the day, 
We soon were traveling on the Appian Way. 

The same broad, grand road, paved with blocks of volcanic 
stone, over which Paul was brought as a prisoner to Rome. 

We alighted at the Catacombs of St. Callistus. More than 
forty different catacombs have been discovered, extending 
around the city of Rome ; but this is the only one that has been 
thoroughly excavated. These catacombs combined cover a 
space of six hundred and fifteen acres. The sacristan provided 
us with little wax-tapers twisted up in a comical manner, which 
we had to untwist as they burned down. Following the sacris- 
tan, single file, we reached the dark, narrow, subterranean pass- 
ages fifty feet deep and two and a half feet wide, with niches in 
the side walls of the length of the body to be interred, from in- 
fants to adults. These niches rise in seven tiers, one above an- 
other. After the bodies were placed in, they were closed with 
tablets of marble. We saw a few skeletons lying in these niches 
which were well preserved, but in many of them the bones were 
lying in disorder, and the majority had turned to dust. These 
monotonous passages are occasionally broken by larger cham- 
bers, one of which contains the tombs of popes on the left, and 
those of Anteros, Lucius, Fabianus, and Eutychianus on the 
right, and on the centre that of Sixtus II., who died as a martyr 
in the catacombs in 258. Another of these chambers, which is 
open above, once contained the tomb of St. Cecilia. On the 
walls are dim paintings of the seventh and eighth centuries, 
such as St. Urban and the head of Christ. Holding my little 
taper high, I followed close on the heels of the others, for I was 
afraid of getting lost in these dark, seemingly never-ending 
passages, running out in every direction, with dead people's 
bones on either side, and I imagined I could smell putrefaction, 
although they had been free from anything of the kind for many 
centuries. 



86 ROME. 

Again seated in carriages, we rode for miles over the Appian 
Way, passing the celebrated tomb of Cecilia Metella. Here it 
has stood, gazed at and admired, for about two thousand years. 
It is a circular tower, built of lava and brick, and it is so strong 
that it has often been used as a fortress. It is seventy feet in 
diameter, and although the marble has been stripped from the 
outside, yet it is very picturesque in its ruin. 

On we went, past monuments and tombs, till we were on the 
broad Campagna, and the guide pointed out the line of ruined 
arches, which mark where the aqueduct once conveyed the 
water from the distant Sabine Hills (over yonder, wrapt in a 
bluish haze) to the Eternal City. 

Striking off in another direction, we reached at last St. Paul's 
Cathedral, which is about a mile and a half outside the city 
walls. The exterior is very plain, but the interior is rich with 
splendor. St. Paul is supposed to have been buried here. The 
interior is three hundred and ninety feet long, one hundred and 
ninety-five feet wide, and two hundred and twenty-five feet in 
height, with double aisles and transepts, borne by eighty grand 
columns of granite from the Simplon Pass. The ceiling of the 
nave is richly gilded, and the floor of the finest polished mar- 
ble. It was built in 1854, so it is quite modern. Two yellow- 
ish columns of oriental alabaster at the entrance, and four which 
support the golden canopy of the high altar were presented by 
the Viceroy of Egypt, and the malachite pedestals by the Em- 
peror of Russia. The confessio, with its half-circle of burning 
lamps, is richly decorated with marble from the ancient quarries 
in Greece, and before it are two colossal statues of St. Peter 
and St. Paul. There is a long series of portrait medallions in 
mosaic of all the popes down to the present, extending all 
around the church. They are five feet in diameter. The windows 
in the aisles are of stained glass, with representations of the 
apostles and fathers of the church. There are several chapels, 
which looked meagre, however, after seeing those at St. John 
Lateran, and a fine lot of paintings. 

Once more we stepped into the carriage, and were soon pass- 



ROME. 87 

ing through the gate of S. Paulo into Old Rome again. Near 
this gate is the tomb of Caius Cestius. It is a brick pyramid, 
cased with marble, one hundred and twenty-five feet high, and 
its base is a hundred feet square. 

We rode on to the Baths of Caracalla. They are now a huge 
mass of ruins, but were once unparalleled in luxuriance. They 
were begun in 212 by Caracalla, and completed by Alexander 
Severus, and could accommodate one thousand six hundred 
bathers at once. The size of these grounds was one thousand 
and eighty feet square. The floors are of beautiful mosaic mar- 
ble, from which I picked a few tiny green pieces as a souvenir. 
We saw the remains of a large saloon for cold baths, one for 
tepid baths, another for hot-air baths, and a perfuming and 
anointing room. At one place the wall is perfect, and is one 
hundred and fifty feet high and twenty feet thick. And besides 
all these comforts for bathing to suit the whims of the most fas- 
tidious, there were lovely gardens, fountains, refreshment shops, 
fancy bazaars, libraries, and games ; so that it was quite a fash- 
ionable resort. Now it is only pretty to look at as a picture of 
grand ruins. Many handsome things, statuary, vases, mosaics, 
etc., which we have seen in different museums, come from this 
place ; among them the Farnese Bull, Hercules, and Flora, at 
Naples. 

While driving, we passed the Column of Trajan, and' went 
through the Jews' quarters (misery, filth, and beggars,) near 
which are the House of Rienzi, the Theatre with the workshops 
under it, the Temple of Fortuna, and the Temple of Vesta. 

The Corso, which I have before mentioned as being the prin- 
cipal street of Rome, is much broader than the others, and the 
pavement is respectably wide. Many of the streets are so 
narrow that they have no pavement for foot passengers, and 
others have them raised about a foot above the street, but so nar- 
row that if two persons meet, one must step off in order to pass. 
This is the prevailing style of sidewalks in most of the old 
European cities. It was quite a treat therefore to take a walk 
down the Corso, enlivened with its gay shops, and look at the 



88 ROME. 

pretty Roman mosaic jewelry, the genuine article, of which we 
had seen so many wax imitations, retailed on the street. But it 
was not so much of a treat to have a small boy follow us for two 
squares, unfolding yards of views of Rome, and crying in a sing- 
song tone, "All of Rome for 'alf a franc, O 6, that is very 

cheap, all of Rome for 'alf a franc !" It becomes monotonous 
after one has heard it ninety-nine times ; and the different orders 
of monks, with their black, gray, or brown cowls, the priests, 
sisters of charity, and the young men who are studying for the 
priesthood, with their long cloaks and broad-brimmed hats, also 
became monotonous, as we were continually coming in contact 
with some of them. I don't enjoy seeing everybody dressed 
alike — " Variety is the spice of life." 

One morning we went to a hotel on the Via Nazionale, where 
were acquaintances, and from a balcony, with them, watched a 
grand military parade, celebrating the Festa Delia Statuto, or 
Festival of the Constitution. A long line of well-drilled soldiers 
passed, accompanied by a large and excellent band of music. 
Then in her carriage, with driver, footman and maid, gracefully 
rode the Queen, dressed in cameo pink satin, with a profusion 
of point lace, bowing and smiling graciously to the people on 
either side. She is a great favorite among her subjects. Surely 
if her life is as beautiful as her face, one could not help but be 
drawn toward her. Next came a superb array of cavalry, and 
then King Humbert on horseback with dignified demeanor, his 
long white feather floating in the breeze. By his side rode his 
son twelve years of age, also gayly attired; and another long 
line of cavalry brought up the rear. 

We visited the Borghese Palace. The picture gallery here is 
considered the next finest to that of the Vatican, and the best 
private collection in the city; arranged according to schools in 
twelve rooms. Among the master-pieces are the Holy Family, 
a work of the highest rank, of large size. An artist had made 
a. very small copy of it, about eight inches across, in water colors, 
a perfect little gem. Its price was one hundred and eighty 
dollars. Raphael's Entombment, Correggio's Danae, Titian's 



ROME. 89 

Earthly and Heavenly Love (one of his best works) ; and Do- 
menichino's Cumaean Sibyl, are all charming. In the centre of 
one of the rooms is a very large and extravagantly beautiful table 
of irregular mosaic, composed of a great variety of very precious 
stones. 

From here we went to the Palace of Barberini, a magnificent 
building, with fine grounds. We were anxious to see a small 
private gallery which it contained, consisting of three rooms. 
The gems are Durer's " Christ among the Doctors," painted in 
five days, at Venice in 1506; Raphael's portrait of the Fornarina, 
a most beautiful woman, with dark eyes and hair; and Guido 
Reni's Beatrice Cenci. The latter is the picture of which we so 
often see copies in American homes. Beatrice has become al- 
most a household word. It is said that the artist painted it in 
the prison the night before her execution. Her sad, sweet, in- 
nocent face; her large, lustrous, hazel eyes; the wavy, auburn 
tresses stealing from the graceful drapery about the head ; and 
the full ruby lips so captivated me that I purchased a copy on 
porcelain at my earliest opportunity. 

One of the curiosities which we felt determined to see, was 
the church of S. Maria della Concezione, beneath which are five 
burial vaults and a small chapel, where services are held on No- 
vember 2d, when the vaults are also illuminated. The walls of 
these vaults are completely covered in a ghastly manner with the 
bones of four thousand monks. Grinning skulls meet your gaze 
which ever way you turn. The bones are arranged in the shape 
of arches; and under each arch lies a mummy with his dried skin, 
dead hair, horrible teeth, and dressed in a long black robe, 
holding a black crucifix in his arms. And some of these mum- 
mies are standing up like sentinels dressed in the same manner. 
Their eyeless sockets and grinning jaws make them seem as 
chough they were laughing at their own ridiculous appearance. 
The vertebrae are strung on wire, and are arranged in fantastic 
figures on the ceiling. They also hang in graceful festoons 
wherever appropriate. In front of each vault, suspended from 
the ceiling, is a fantastic arrangement made of human bones, 



90 ROME. 

strung together, making quite a. fancy hanging lamp. Thigh, 
leg, and arm bones, finger and toe joints, shoulder blades, ver- 
tebrae, skulls, in fact every bone in the body is utilized in form- 
ing this horrible spectacle. In each vault there is a tomb filled 
with earth from Jerusalem. When a Capuchin monk dies, they 
take up' the bones which have been buried the longest and use 
them for decoration ; and the lately deceased takes possession of 
the tomb. So you see the grave is not to them a final resting 
place, as we sometimes term it. 

We next visited the church of S. Maria Maggiore on the Es- 
quiline Hill. It is very handsome, both externally and inter- 
nally. It has two superb domes and a spire, and is one of the 
oldest churches in Rome. It was built in the fifth century, but 
of course has undergone many changes since then. It is one of 
the five patriarchal churches. Its elegant mosaic pavement 
seems almost too pretty to walk upon. The flat-panelled ceiling 
is very handsome, and the architrave, adorned with fine pictures 
in mosaic, is supported by forty-two Ionic columns of white mar- 
ble, excepting four, which are of granite. The arches and 
domes are beautifully painted. The high altar consists of an 
ancient sarcophagus of porphyry, said to contain the remains of 
St. Matthew and other relics. The canopy is borne by four col- 
umns of porphyry, and the confessio in front of the high altar 
is perfectly exquisite, consisting of an endless variety of pretty 
colored marbles. There are fine chapels in the right and left 
aisles. One of them is said to contain five boards from the 
manger of the infant Christ. In the left transept is the Bor- 
ghese chapel, with its handsome dome and altar sumptuously 
decorated with lapis lazuli and agate. In the right transept is 
also a chapel with a dome, gorgeously decorated. 

As there are three hundred and sixty-five churches in Rome, 
one for every day in the year, we were not foolish enough to 
attempt to even peep into them all, but were content to examine 
pretty thoroughly ten of the most important. 

The palace of the Caesars, which covers the Palatine Hill, is 
situated just south of the Roman Forum. This mass of ruins 



ROME. 91 

was brought to light by excavations begun in 1S61 by Na- 
poleon III. The Palatine Hill, which is five thousand two hun- 
dred feet in circumference, is the original site of the city of 
Romulus and Remus. We were shown a grotto by the guide, 
which is supposed to be the Lupercal where the she-wolf went 
for safety when driven from the twins by the shepherds. A 
small museum has been erected, which contains many interesting 
fragments. We followed our guide through these ruins for two 
hours, as he pointed out the buildings of Caligula and Tiberius, 
the Palace of the Flavii, which was the chief seat of the Roman 
Government; the Paedagogium, or school for the imperial slaves; 
and the Stadium, which lies between the buildings of Septimus 
Severus and the old Palace of Augustus. It was interesting to 
us to know that Cicero and Catiline used to live on this hill ; 
and I thought that if I could live over my college days again, I 
should read Cicero's orations with considerable vim. Some of 
the walls of the houses are in quite good preservation, and also 
the mosaic pavements, and here and there may be seen mural 
paintings, consisting of garlands of flowers, fruit, etc. 

This hill is covered with beautiful foliage; trees loaded with 
little green oranges and figs. The day was very warm, and 
wearied with over-exertion, I sat down on a friendly stone to 
rest, while the gentlemen clambered about with their heads full 
of Roman history. To atone for their long absence they brought 
me a peace-offering of flowers — a nosegay of olive twigs, ole- 
ander blossoms, beautiful roses, tiny lavender flowers, and pome- 
granate buds. 

One warm pleasant evening, after selecting the finest-looking 
horse from the large number standing in front of our hotel, with 
their drivers on the qui vive for passengers, we took a most en- 
joyable drive to the top of Mont Pincio, or Hill of Gardens as it 
is termed, a much frequented and fashionable resort towards even- 
ing. The carriage drive winds back and forth until it reaches 
the summit, one hundred and fifty-one feet high; where we had 
a magnificent view of modern Rome lit up by a glorious sunset. 
We also had a very distinct view of the bridge and Castle of St. 



Q2 ROME. 

Angelo. Immediately at the foot of the hill is the Piazza del 
Popolo, in the centre of which is an obelisk from Egypt, the 
oldest thing in Rome. In this piazza is the monastery of Augus- 
tine, where Martin Luther resided when in Rome. The Pincio 
is the place to see fine turn-outs, coachmen and footmen clad in 
handsome livery, and richly attired ladies. Here are cafes, 
trapeziums, circular swings; diminutive street cars drawn by 
goats, which will carry eight children; charming walks, flowers, 
statuary and fountains. One particularly beautiful fountain rep- 
resents Moses in the bulrushes. In the centre of the great 
circular basin which receives the water, rises a marble statue of 
the mother of Moses half kneeling, her eyes raised imploringly 
to heaven, with one hand pressed to her heart and the other 
resting upon the head of her infant, who lies at her feet in his 
little cradle of bulrushes, as if committing him to the care of the 
Heavenly Parent before launching his frail boat. The moving 
throng is constantly reminded of the passing time by a large 
clock, which is kept in motion by hydraulic power. And that all 
the senses may be gratified, the air is made to resound with strains 
of sweet music, which the Italians know so well how to produce. 
The shadows of night began to creep about us, and so we had to 
leave this delightful spot and seek our place of shelter and 
repose. 

On the morning of our last day in Rome, we went to see 
king Humbert's palace, situated on the Quirinal Hill. The 
popes used to occupy it during the summer season, on account 
of its healthy location. But in 1870 the Italian government 
took possession of it, and it is now the residence of the king. 
Here is a small chapel for the royal family to worship in, richly 
gilded and decorated with beautiful tapestry of recent date. We 
passed through the king's private apartments: drawing-room, re- 
ception-room, ball-room, dining-room, breakfast-room, etc., fif- 
teen in all, sumptuously furnished. The walls of the throne-room 
were covered more than half-way up Avith scarlet brocaded satin, 
and the upholstered furniture was of the same; the carpet of 
rich scarlet velvet, and the superb throne of the same bright hue. 



ROME. 



93 



There were three large rooms furnished in this manner in old 
gold, also two in blue, and one in green brocaded satin ; and all 
had magnificent chandeliers, beautiful paintings and statuary. 
Life size oil paintings of the king and queen (Marguerite) grace 
one of the apartments. She, fair and lovely, is robed in white 
satin embroidered with gold, with twelve strings of real pearls 
about her neck, and an elegant bracelet encircling her well- 
formed arm. The statuary here and there is exquisite. One 
piece called "On Sunday," particularly attracted our attention. 
It is a lady gracefully reclining in a rocking chair, reading her 
Bible; the position, hands, arms, delicate slippered foot, loose 
flowing robe, all are perfect. The mosaics on the floor of one 
of the rooms came from Hadrian's villa, and one of the ceiling 
paintings, by Overbeck, commemorates the flight of Pius IX. in 
1848. 

From here we rode to the Villa Albani, founded in 1760, by 
Albani. It now belongs to Prince Torlonia, but he only spends 
a small part of his time here. It is quite a picturesque place. 
Three walks bordered with handsomely trimmed hedges diverge 
from the entrance gate. The middle path leads to a column in 
the centre of a circular space, and at a little distance is a pretty 
fountain and flower beds bordered with box. On the right is a 
cafe in the form of a semi-circle, and on the left is the casino or 
large mansion with galleries on each side. In the vestibule 
are niches filled with statuary, beautiful mosaic, marble tables 
and porphyry basins. We ascended the staircase and entered 
the gallery; here were elegantly furnished apartments — nineteen 
rooms in all — lavishly decorated with rare ancient sculptures. 
The finest pieces are Cupid bending his bow, Mercury bringing 
Eurydice back from the infernal regions (a relief), also the relief 
of Antinous, from the villa of Hadrian, and the statue of yEsop 
with his deformed body, so painfully true to life, and fine-shaped 
head, wonderfully executed. We could find no clew to the 
names of the artists. Many of the pieces are badly mutilated, 
testifying that they are ancient and of superior workmanship. 

At half-past ten o'clock next morning, we bade adieu to old 



94 ROME. 



Rome, feeling grateful that we had been permitted to look upon 
these relics of the past. A missionary and his wife from India 
occupied an apartment with us in the railway car, and we chatted 
so gayly together that seven hours pleasantly slipped by, and we 
were in Florence. 



CHAPTER V. 

Florence is situated in a pretty valley on both sides of the 
river Arno, and is picturesquely surrounded by spurs of the 
Apennines. It has one hundred and twenty-three thousand inhab- 
itants. The streets are much wider than in Rome, and the shop 
windows are gay and attractive, especially the mosaic jewelry 
shops, presenting a most tempting display of delicate flowered 
mosaics, so much prettier to my mind than the Roman mosaics. 
Then there are pretty fountains every now and then, monuments, 
and numerous memorial tablets, recording important events in 
the history of Florence. A large fountain, with Neptune seated 
in his car, drawn by seadiorses, and tritons sporting in the basin, 
occupies the site of the stake at which Savonarola and two other 
Dominican monks were burned on the twenty-third of May, 
1498. During the study of theology, Savonarola was awakened 
to the corruption of doctrine that prevailed in the Romish 
church, and he began earnestly to expose the evils in the city 
of Florence; but in a few years he was judged by papal power to 
be guilty of heresy, and was burned to death on this spot, and 
his ashes thrown into the river Arno. This city has the honor 
of being the birthplace of Dante in 1265. Galileo died here, 
and Michael Angelo resided here for a time. We saw the exte- 
rior of each of their houses; they are all exceedingly plain stone 
buildings. A bust of Michael Angelo is over the door of the 
house where he lived. 

We visited the famous Ufhzi Gallery by wearily climbing up 
one hundred and twenty-six steps, and upon entering the second 
vestibule were greeted by two dogs and a wild boar, so perfectly 
formed by the sculptor's chisel that we smiled aloud at their 
comical appearance. We hastened on to the Tribune, an octag- 
gonal room lighted from the top, which contains the choicest 

(95) 



g6 FLORENCE. 

gems of the whole collection, master-pieces of ancient sculpture 
found at different places in the sixteenth century (the names of 
the artists are unknown), and also modern paintings. The five 
following exquisite pieces of sculpture are ranged around the 
room: "A Satyr," playing on the cymbal and also playing a 
stringed instrument by the pressure of his foot; the "Wrestlers," 
representing two men in a desperate struggle, one holding the 
other down, with their heads bent nearly to the ground, and the 
blood vessels of the faces nearly ready to burst from exertion. 
The anatomy of the bodies is perfectly wonderful as delineated 
in the straining sinews, and swollen, distended muscles; "The 
Grinder," a man kneeling down, sharpening or grinding a sickle 
on a stone ; " The Apollino," or young Apollo, is another beau- 
tiful figure; but the Venus de Medici, found in the Villa of 
Hadrian, outstrips them all in beauty and gracefulness of form. 
I think, I can truthfully say, that it surpasses any statute we saw 
while abroad, in its easy grace of attitude. It scarcely seems 
possible that cold, stiff marble, could be brought to appear so 
flexible. Among the finest paintings in the Tribune are the 
Madonna and Child, by Raphael ; Venus of Urbino, by Titian'; 
and Adoration of the Magi, by A. Durer. In another room we 
were delighted with the charming picture of Mary visiting 
Elizabeth, and also a fine picture of St. Sebastian, pierced with 
arrows, by Sodoma. 

We were informed that the Santa Croce is the most noted 
church in Florence, and were somewhat disappointed at its ex- 
ceedingly plain interior. It is paved with brick, and there are 
a great many memorial tablets on the floor, with the figures of 
persons on them in bass-relief, so if one is not careful he will fall 
down and make another bass-relief oh the pavement. I stumbled 
over the head of somebody's image. The frescoes on the walls 
are faded and dim, having been discovered during the last 
twenty years under the whitewash. This church is to Florence 
what Westminster Abbey is to London. There are many dis- 
tinguished people buried here — historians, naturalists, and other 
scholars. The remains of Michael Angelo rest beneath a fine 



VENICE. 



97 



monument, with a female figure weeping over it. He died at 
Rome in 1564, and was brought here for burial. Directly 
opposite, in the left aisle, is the monument of Galileo, who died 
in 1642. The philosopher is represented as sitting on the sarco- 
phagus, with the world in one hand and a telescope in the other. 
A monument to Dante is also here, but he is buried at Ravenna. 

Owing to the extreme heat we were compelled to cut our stay 
short at Florence, and seek the more congenial atmosphere of 
Venice, with its cool refreshing breezes from the Adriatic. For 
I felt that if I remained there long, I might also become a sub- 
ject for the Santa Croce. The facts in the case are that I had 
overworked in Rome, and my loss of appetite, unstrung nerves, 
and general debility, made me a fit subject for a hospital rather 
than an enthusisatic tourist. But at the rate of five dollars a 
day one cannot afford to be sick, so I pressed on. 

We left Florence at seven o'clock in the morning, and reached 
Venice at half-past four in the afternoon. Our train entered 
Venice (one of the most famous and singular cities in the world), 
over a bridge more than two miles long and fourteen feet wide, 
which spans the lagoon, and is supported by two hundred and 
twenty-two arches. We almost shouted for joy as we approached 
this city of our dreams, which had always seemed to us more 
like the haunt of fairies than a real, practical dwelling place. 
Upon alighting from the train, everything was new and strange 
to us. Instead of a long line of omnibuses and carriages wait- 
ing for passengers, as in other cities, there was on the canal a 
row of gondolas, long, light crafts, painted black, according to 
a law of the fifteenth century, nicely cushioned and carpeted. 
Some of them have a low, black canopy or cabin made of 
leather, and others of some light material, as a protection from 
the sun and rain. They are about thirty feet long and four feet 
wide. The prow and stern terminate in a point, and curve out 
of the water to a height of five feet. The rowers always stand. 
The porter from the Beau Rivage hotel, which we had selected, 
and the gondolier, placed our valises in one of these long black 
boats, politely seated us, and then we glided gently along, 
7 



98 VENICE. 

charmed with this peaceful mode of traveling; no clattering of 
horses' hoofs, no noise of wheels, no dust from this highway. 
It was amusing to watch the gondoliers ingeniously turn the cor- 
ners, or dexterously pick their way through a crowd of gondolas. 
They throw themselves gracefully over their tremendous oars, 
which splash in the water with the regularity of a pendulum. 
We passed under the celebrated Bridge of Sighs, which connects 
the Doge's Palace with the prison. It is a covered gallery, and 
prisoners, when led to execution, passed from their cells across 
this bridge to the palace to hear their sentence of death. This 
is why it was called the Bridge of Sighs. It has two passages in 
it, one for the political criminals who received their sentence 
from the Council of Three, to pass through, and the other for 
the papal criminals who received their sentence from the Council 
of Ten. The great marble palaces on either side, which seemed 
to rise vision-like from the edge of the water, and the pretty 
bridges which connect the islands, were so fascinating that we 
were sorry when our first gondola ride was ended, and we stopped 
in front of our hotel. 

The next morning after our arrival, my husband sent for Dr. 
Riechetti who declared that I had not Roman fever, but that my 
nervous system was greatly exhausted. He toned me up so that 
I was confined to my room but two days, and was then able to 
recline in the luxurious gondola and dreamily float about through 
the different canals, fanned by the delicious sea-breezes, so 
smoothly, quietly, and lazily that I almost fell asleep. The 
landlord and all the servants were exceedingly kind and humored 
every whim during our stay of five days. I do not think it was 
kindness begotten of policy, but genuine sympathy. History 
tells us that the culminating point of the glory of Venice was at 
the close of the fifteenth century. It was then the grand focus 
of the entire commerce of Europe, and numbered two hundred 
thousand inhabitants. But the population has been reduced to 
one hundred and twenty-eight thousand, and one-fourth of them 
are beggars, which beset you on all sides. One writer says of 
them, "They lie in the sunshine; they dabble in the sea; they 



VENICE. 99 

wear bright rags; they fall into attitudes and harmonies." The 
drinking water is brought from Padua, a distance of twenty-three 
miles, and is consequently very warm unless made palatable with 
ice, which they manufacture in Italy. Men sell water by the 
glass on the streets, Venice is built on three large, and one 
hundred and fourteen small islands, which are connected by three 
hundred and seventy-eight bridges; and one hundred and fifty 
canals form the streets or thoroughfares. Many of the islands 
are too marshy to form a good foundation for buildings and so 
the most of the city is built upon artificial foundations of piles 
or stone. The buildings rise immediately from the canals, or 
are separated by very narrow streets. Our hotel had a street in 
front of it and every evening a man gathered a crowd about him, 
just under our window, and there practice dall sorts of sleight-of- 
hand performances. And one holiday the people kept up a per- 
fect bedlam all night long. We were not kept awake, however 
by the noise of carriages rumbling past, as there is not a horse in 
Venice. But there are two on the island called Lido, some little 
distance away, and the Venetians think it quite a treat to be 
drawn for a short distance by these wonderful creatures. The 
trip to Lido usually takes only about half an hour, but the wind 
was against us and we had but one rower, so were two hours and 
a half; but we were in no hurry and enjoyed it immensely. It 
is a pretty island and has good sea baths and a very fine restau- 
rant. On our return we were able to form a more correct idea 
of the situation of Venice. 

One morning we went to the beautiful Piazza of St. Mark's, 
the great centre of business and amusement ; it is one hundred 
and ninety-two yards in length but only about half as wide. It 
is paved with blocks of marble and trachyte. On three sides it 
is inclosed with massive, marble buildings, with arcades; on the 
ground floor of which, are the most attractive shops in Venice; 
one filled entirely with shells, of all shapes, sizes and colors, 
which is enough to set a lover of conchology wild; others for 
the sale of photographs, lace, jewelry, and everything tempting. 
Here and there are brilliant cates. 



IOO VENICE. 

The east side of the piazza is occupied by St. Mark's church, 
and in front of it at some distance, is the square Campanile, or 
bell tower, which is three hundred and twenty-two feet high. 
We were wise enough not to expend our strength in ascending to 
its summit although it affords a fine view of the city. On the 
right of the church is the clock tower, rising over a gateway 
resembling a triumphal arch, with a splendid dial in blue and 
gold. This tower is adorned with statuary, and on the top is a 
huge bell, beside which stand two bronze figures which strike 
the hours on the bell with a hammer. The exterior of St. 
Mark's is the most beautiful, in my opinion, of any church I 
have ever seen, not excepting even the Cathedral of Milan. It 
is built in the Romanesque Byzantine style, and lavishly dec- 
orated with different colored marbles. It was begun in 976, and 
is in the form of a Greek cross (with equal arms), with a mag- 
nificent dome in the centre, and one at the extremity of each 
arm, making five domes in all. Inside and outside there are five 
hundred marble columns with many styles of capitals. There are 
five great arched doorways, and over the principal one are four 
horses in bronze, which were captured by Napoleon in 1797 and 
taken to Paris; but eighteen years after they were brought back 
and put in their old place. On the facade are grand mosaic pic- 
tures in the arches, eight or nine in all, representing the Last 
Judgment, Descent from the Cross, Resurrection, Ascension, etc. 
The vaulting of the entrance hall, which extends the whole 
breadth of the church, is mosaic work representing Old Testament 
subjects. The interior of the cathedral is two hundred and fifty- 
eight feet long, and two hundred and ten feet wide. The pave- 
ment is mosaic work in the form of all sorts of animals, even 
peacocks, and is very uneven, bulged up in some places and 
sunken down in others. On either side of the high altar is a 
pulpit of colored marble, supported by seven columns. On the 
screen in front of the high altar are fourteen marble statues, 
representing the apostles and two others, and in the centre is a 
gilded crucifix. The cathedral has a grand but sombre appear- 
ance inside. We were shown the treasury by an old monk. 



VENICE. IOI 

Here we saw the covers of the books of the gospels (from Con- 
stantinople), lavishly decorated with gold and jewels, a crystal 
vase with a little red spot in it, which the old monk claimed 
was a drop of the Saviour's blood; a small wooden cross set in 
gold, made from a piece of the true cross; a cup of agate, with 
a piece of St. John's skull ; and St. Mark's throne. Of course 
we could not believe these lies, but it gave us a better insight of 
the horrible deceptions 'practised in the Romish church. One 
of the sights of Venice is to see the pigeons fed in the piazza of 
St. Mark's. Just as the two bronze figures struck the hour of 
two on the bell in the clock tower, the large flock of pigeons 
started up from the ground and flew three times around the 
square and then lit on the window-sills of the second story on 
the west side of the piazza, where corn was thrown out to them. 
It was a pretty sight. • According to tradition, "Admiral Dan- 
dolo, while besieging Candia, at the beginning of the thirteenth 
century, received intelligence from the island by means of carrier 
pigeons, which greatly facilitated its conquest. He then dis- 
patched the birds to Venice with the news of his success, and 
since that period their descendants have been carefully tended 
and highly revered by the citizens." 

The Palace of the Doges is close by St. Mark's, and is entered 
by a long flight of steps, at the top of which the Doges used to 
be crowned. The walls and ceilings of this magnificent palace 
are frescoed by Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese, Palma Giovane, 
and other famous artists. In the large hall which contains the 
library, on the east wall, is Tintoretto's Paradise, said to be the 
largest oil painting in the world, seventy-eight feet by forty- 
seven feet, filled with multitudes of angelic heads; the little 
children — cherubs — are placed nearest the Saviour. On the 
frieze are the pictures of seventy-six Doges. The upper floor 
contains the rooms in which the authorities of the Republic used 
to hold their meetings. In the ante-chamber of the Three In- 
quisitors of the Republic there is a narrow slit in the wall, re- 
sembling the aperture of a letter box, formerly ornamented with 
a lion's head, into the mouth of which secret documents were 



102 VENICE. 

cast. The Chamber for the Council of Ten is a large, handsome 
room. The Senate Chamber contains- many beautiful paintings. 
The one over the throne represents the Descent from the Cross, 
by Tintoretto. In the Voting Hall are the portraits of thirty- 
nine Doges. There are many other rooms in this palace, richly 
decorated with paintings. And in the apartments where the 
Doges used to reside are many Greek and Roman sculptures, 
brought home as booty by the Venetians. 

Again we were seated in a gondola, and taken to the Academy 
of Fine Arts. It is situated on the Grand Canal, and was once 
an Augustine Convent. It contains about six hundred pictures, 
most of them by Venetian masters. The Assumption, Titian's 
master-piece, is the finest picture in the whole collection. The 
winged cherubs, some playing, some singing, others praying, 
crowd around the Virgin as she ascends the clouds, her face 
radiant with joy and loving trust. Her hands are reaching out 
towards heaven and God, who is looking down upon her. The 
Apostles below are gazing upwards, their faces filled with rap- 
ture, wonder and fear ; the coloring is exquisite ! The Entomb- 
ment, by the same master, is also beautiful. He was engaged 
in this at the time of his death, at the age of ninety-nine years. 
The Madonna and Child, by Bellini ; the Banquet of Dives, by 
Bonifacio, and many, many other grand pictures, were a rich 
treat for us. 

Mr. Culler visited the Dungeons, the famous Rialto Bridge, 
with its rows of shops, filled with fruits, vegetables, dry goods, 
ornaments, and in fact almost everything, and the Frari church, 
where he saw the handsome Mausoleum of Canova. 

At a lace manufactory, just back of St. Mark's, we went into 
the working-rooms and saw girls making lace on pillows; some 
using a needle, and others using bobbins. We also went into the 
exhibition-rooms, three or four in number, and saw thirty-two 
different kinds of Venetian lace, of elegant patterns and delicate 
workmanship. They told us they had two thousand girls at 
work, making lace in another factory, but only forty-five here. 

Our departure from Venice was quite romantic. Night had 



VENICE. I03 

drawn her silvery curtains over the earth — shadows crept into 
the nooks and corners of the buildings; the grand old clock in 
the Piazza of St. Mark's had struck the hour of nine, when 
accompanied by the servants of the hotel, each carrying some 
trilling article belonging to us, we stepped into a gondola and 
were about to launch forth, when our landlord rushed down to 
the water's edge with hand extended to bid us good-bye, and 
shower us with kind wishes. I cannot forget that night in June: 
it comes back to me like a pleasant dream— as we reclined on our 
cushioned seats, the starry heavens above, the moonbeams spark- . 
ling in the water beneath ; at the right the lovely picture of the 
Ducal Palace, the five domes of St. Mark's and the Campanile, 
varied with silvery light and shadow, with its background of 
deep blue sky, and the soft balmy air, lending enchantment to 
the whole. After many skillful strokes of the oar, our long, 
slender, black boat was brought up close against the great steamer 
which lay at anchor in the sea. Cautiously climbing up the steps 
to the deck of the vessel, we turned to say good-night to Venice 
and the moon and stars, and sought our state-room below. At 
eleven o'clock we started on our journey across the Adriatic Sea. 

The next morning we were dressed and on deck before six 
o'clock, as we were anxious to see as much of the Adriatic as 
possible. The waves were quite feeble compared with those of 
old Ocean. 

We landed at Trieste, Austria, at seven o'clock, and took the 
first train for Vienna. We passed through the town of Adels- 
berg, just three-quarters of a mile from the celebrated stalactite 
caverns. After leaving this point, for two hours we traversed a 
dreary, inhospitable plain, covered with blocks of limestone, a 
seeming wilderness of stones. A man and his wife and three 
small children occupied the same apartment with us. At lunch 
time they produced a bottle of wine, which was freely partaken 
of by the children, even the wee baby. Mr. Culler felt like de- 
livering a temperance lecture, but feared lest his German might 
fail him. We stepped out of the car to procure a lunch, when 
lo ! the overhanging clouds burst, and the rain descended in 



104 VIENNA. 

torrents. It seemed that all the water from the ocean had been 
drawn up into the clouds and was now being returned in anger. 
Even the train had to wait until its fury was spent, to allow the 
passengers to reach the cars in safety. Being wearied with our 
day of constant travel, we stopped off at Gratz for the night. 
Waking up in the morning, we were surprised to find that we 
had overslept and could not continue our journey until four 
o'clock in the afternoon. By that time the clouds had lifted 
and old Sol brightened up everything with his golden light. 
The bold mountain scenery was so different to that of the pre- 
vious day. We traversed what is called the Semmering railway. 
For a distance of twenty-five miles it is carried along the face of 
precipices by means of tunnels, fifteen in number, and as many 
bridges, presenting a great variety of picturesque scenery. The 
scenery in our car was also picturesque, certainly very verdant, 
for directly facing us sat a loving couple, whose kisses, caresses 
and fond glances would have been a sufficient emetic for a 
bilious person — outstripping anything of the kind in America. 

We reached the great, busy, bustling city of Vienna, with its 
population of one million twenty thousand seven hundred and 
seventy, late in the evening, and took up our abode for a few 
days at the hotel Holler, where we had the poorest accommoda- 
tions in all our experience. Our room was facing a small open 
court, from which arose all the fumes of the kitchen, predominant 
among which were those of onions. This vile odor penetrated 
everything. 

People talk about the beggars and fleas of Rome, but they are 
as nothing compared with the onions of Vienna. My little single 
bed had two feathers in it, but I failed to locate either of them. 
The meals were good and well prepared, but who could enjoy 
them after being steeped in an atmosphere of onions? Aside 
from the onions, however, Vienna is a beautiful city, with broad 
streets (such a luxury after being accustomed to the narrow 
streets of Italy !) flanked with high, massive, handsome buildings 
and palatial dwelling houses, with plate-glass windows. To be 
sure the most ancient part of the city has narrow, uninviting 



VIENNA. 



io 5 



streets. We strolled through the Outer Burgplatz, where we saw 
the handsome equestrian statues of Archduke Charles, and that 
of Prince Eugene; and through the Joseph Platz, which contains 
the bronze equestrian statue of Emperor Joseph II. Close at 
hand is the lovely Volksgarten, in the centre* of which is the 
Temple of Theseus, an imitation of the one at Athens. It con- 
tains a fine marble group by Canova called The Victory of The- 
seus over the Minotaur. Theseus with giant power is choking 
this fabulous monster whose back he has already broken, and 
with a huge club raised in the other hand is prepared to deal the 
deadly blow. Anatomically the bodies of each are wonderful ! 
We visited the Imperial Library which occupies a fine large hall 
beautifully ornamented with columns and statuary, and contains 
many valuable relics, among which are purple parchment with 
gold and silver letters of the sixth century; palm leaf manu- 
scripts; cotton, linen, and mulberry paper; an illustrated work 
on medicinal herbs, of the fifth century; parts of the book of 
Oenesis, of the fourth century, on purple parchment; fragments 
of the Roman History of Livy, brought from Scotland in the 
seventh century; illustrated French Bible; Dante's Divine 
Comedy, of the fourteenth century; a Chinese manuscript, on 
blue paper with golden letters, and a much worn prayer book of 
Charles V. with colored pictures. 

St. Stephen's church, considered the most important build- 
ing in Vienna, is a handsome Gothic structure of solid limestone, 
in the form of a Latin cross. The handsome groined vaulting is 
supported by eighteen huge pillars, which are lavishly decorated 
with statuettes. It has two ancient and three modern stained- 
glass windows of rich coloring. In the nave is a handsome 
Gothic stone pulpit, adorned with reliefs of four Fathers of the 
church, in quaint old hats. On one of the walls is a statue of the 
architect of the church, looking through a window as if watching 
the expression of visitors' faces to see how they liked his work. 
In his hand he holds a rule and pair of compasses. The exterior 
of the chur< li is magnificent, but the interior seems almost barren 
when compared with the wealth of the Roman churches. 



106 DANUBE RIVER. 

We took a drive to the Prater, the great, grand park of 
Vienna, four thousand two hundred and seventy acres in extent. 
Running through this are two spacious avenues miles in length. 
Of course we took the principal one, called the Haupt Allee, for 
a mile or two, and then turned and drove past the Aquarium, 
cafes and places of amusement. It was here in the Prater that 
the International Exhibition was held in 1873, an d w e were 
much interested in looking at the Machinery Hall and handsome 
rotunda, which are the only buildings that have been allowed to 
remain standing. 

On our return we stopped at a small new Gothic church, a 
perfect gem of architecture, called the Votive church, built to 
commemorate the Emperor's escape from assassination in 1853. 
The church was completed in 1879. ^ nas a beautiful facade, 
and two slender, open towers, three hundred and forty-five feet 
high, handsomely decorated with statues. The interior is fresh 
and new, finished in excellent taste, and has no less than seventy- 
eight richly colored stained-glass windows. The high altar is 
also in good taste, the pulpit graceful and unique, and the pipe- 
organ over the entrance door, large and handsome. The gilded 
vaulting, fine architecture and beautiful windows lit up by the 
kindly sunbeams, gave it the most cosy and inviting appearance. 

At half-past six o'clock on the morning of the Fourth of July, 
we were conveyed by a small steamer through the Danube canal 
(as the broader arm of the river does not touch the capital), to 
the Danube river, where we boarded a large steamer and rode 
all the day long and until twelve o'clock at night, on the his- 
torical, beautiful, blue Danube, of which we had so often sung 
in America, to the tune sol, sol, mi, mi, fa, mi, re, re, mi, fa, fa, 
mi, re, do, mi, etc. Unfortunately, however, owing to the 
previous rain it was quite roily, giving it a yellowish tinge instead 
of blue, which took away half of the poetry for me. 

We were just comfortably seated on deck when we heard 
American tongues behind us. We immediately faced about and 
extended our hands, feeling that the only introduction necessary 
was to say we were from America. We chatted gayly together, 



DANUBE RIVER. 107 

and soon learned enough of their history to know that they were 
both physicians from Illinois, who had been attending medical 
lectures in Berlin and Vienna. As we had no flags or fire 
crackers, and an oration might have been out of place, even if 
it could have been understood, we could think of no other way 
of celebrating the anniversary of America's Independence than 
by feasting together on a good dinner, prepared on the steamer. 

The scenery along the Danube is perfectly charming. Lofty 
rugged mountains rise on either side, some in bare baldness and 
others covered with gigantic pines. Here and there are pretty, 
quaint villages scattered along its banks. The wealthy Benedic- 
tine Abbey of Gottweih, on a hill seven hundred and twenty-six 
feet high, presents an imposing appearance. 

We passed the picturesque village of Diirrenstein, where Duke 
Leopold VI. kept his enemy Cceur de Lion a prisoner for fifteen 
months. 

On a vine-clad hill is built the town of Spitz with a ruined 
castle and an ancient church. On the roof of the latter are six 
clay hares represented as running, placed there to commemorate 
a snowdrift that completely covered the church so that the hares 
ran over it. 

Then we passed a once dreaded robber's castle. Its owner is 
said to have thrown' his prisoners from the top of the dizzy rock 
into the abyss below. Many other castles situated on the pro- 
jecting points of mountain heights, add much to the beauty of 
the scenery. The river is divided in one place by a large island, 
on the north side of which, it descends in rapids, which used to 
be very dangerous to vessels. But the rocks in the bottom of 
the river were blasted for the last time in 1853, and the passage 
is now quite safe ; but they still continue to fire a cannon at 
this point every day, so as to prevent a collision with another 
vessel which might be approaching the bend from the other side. 
We enjoyed this trip to the full, and were sorry when the shades 
of night gathered about us and shut out the lovely landscape 
from our view. We stopped off at Linz for the night and the 
next morning we partook of a delicious breakfast of Danube 



108 MUNICH. 

fish, on a vine-clad verandah overlooking the river. Everybody 
who ran afford it ought to have just such a place to eat breakfast 
during warm summer weather ; I believe it would put them in a 
good humor for all day. I'm sure it had that effect upon us. 

Once more we were being whirled along on the railway train, 
passing through Sal/burg, where Mozart, the great musician was 
born, and towards evening found ourselves in Munich, and were 
soon settled in the handsome, commodious hotel Belle Vue, 
which is centrally located, where we were initiated into the Ger- 
man custom of sleeping between two feather beds. Of course 
the upper one was made of swan's down, consequently very 
light, and could easily be thrown off if desired. We found it 
quite a luxury. Our readers must remember that July at this 
altitude in Germany calls for winter clothing at night. Munich, 
the capital of Bavaria, is situated one thousand seven hundred 
and three feet above the level of the sea, making a cool summer 
resort. It has nearly one hundred and seventy thousand inhab- 
itants, and its wide beautiful streets are well built up with mas- 
sive but not ornamental structures. 

The Bavarian National Museum contains objects of art of 
every variety, from the Roman period down to the present day. 
Here we saw very old, carved bedsteads, with a canopy over 
each, beautiful carvings in mother of pearl, §vorv and wood. 
A large basket of flowers, exquisitely carved out of wood, was a 
rare curiosity to us, consisting of blossoms and leaves of many- 
varieties, arranged so artistically that it appeared almost impossi- 
ble to be the work of man ; full blown roses, with petals so thin 
and delicate that it seemed the wind might blow them away. 
Here are the celebrated parchment prayer-books, with paintings 
by Memling. One room is filled with instruments of torture, 
among which were two chairs completely covered with sharp 
spikes — seat, back, arms, and even the foot-rest. I think I 
would stand a long time before I would try to rest in a chair of 
this description. But what interested me most was the little, 
old fashioned piano, used and owned by Mozart when he was 
learning to play when a boy, with only three and a half octaves, 



MUNICH. 109 

and legs like those of my kitchen table. There is a large collec- 
tion of musical instruments of all varieties, from the fourteenth 
to the nineteenth century ; a queer-shaped violin of the sixteenth 
century ; a drum of the seventeenth century, and a piano of 1 7S0. 
Several rooms contain costumes of great elegance of the Bavarian 
sovereigns — Max. Joseph I., Lewis I. and his wife, Theresa, 
Max. II., King of Greece, and his wife, and others; among 
which were gentlemen's coats, beautifully embroidered with 
wreaths of flowers wrought in silk ; hats, shoes, crowns, babies' 
caps, ornaments, etc., of odd shapes and styles. We also espe- 
cially noticed two colossal vases of blue and white glass, exceed- 
ingly delicate and beautiful; a silver-gilt hammer, executed from 
the design by Michael Angelo for the use of the Pope Julius III., 
at the opening of the great Jubilee Festival in 1550; and here 
is even a boudoir (a ladies' private-room) of a Countess Fugger, 
from the Chateau at Donanworth, preserved in all its parts and 
appointments. 

The Old Pinakothek is a picture gallery in the shape of the 
letter I, containing more than fourteen hundred pictures, 
arranged according to schools, viz., the Upper and Lower Ger- 
man ; Flemish and Dutch; Netherlandish; French; Spanish; 
and Italian schools. Of course we can mention only a few of 
the most important ; a panel picture by Albert Durer, represent- 
ing St. Paul and St. Mark standing together, is very fine. St. 
Paul stands up majestically in the famous bluish-white robe, 
admirably shaded and falling in graceful folds, with an eye ex- 
pressive of undaunted courage and firmness ; a triptych, in the 
centre, Adoration of the Magi, at the sides, the Annunciation 
and the Presentation in the Temple, by Roger Vander Weyden 
the elder, the coloring perfect and beautiful throughout; the 
Seven Joys of Mary by Memling ; five wonderful pictures by 
Murillo, viz., two beggar boys eating grapes and melons; two 
beggar boys gambling; two beggar boys with a puppy; two girls 
counting the price of their fruit ; and an old woman cleansing 
the head of a boy, who is engaged in eating a slice of bread. 
The artists favorite number appears to be two, and his subjects — 



IIO MUNICH. 

beggar boys. But indeed they are strikingly true to life. At a 
little distance one might take them for real bits of humanity if 
they were not hung against the wall. One large apartment is 
filled with paintings by Rubens. The six following are the most 
remarkable, The Lion Hunt, Perdition of Lost Souls, The Last 
Judgment, Conversion of Saul, Battle of the Amazons, at the 
Bridge of Thermodon ; and the Massacre of the Innocents, a 
picture that makes one's blood run cold to look upon. The 
mothers have such looks of agony and desperation on their faces 
as they try to save their babies from the savage, brutal men, who 
would tear them from their arms and slay them before their eyes. 

The Basilica is not handsome, but is built like the Italian 
churches of the fifth and sixth century. The arches are supported 
by sixty-six columns of gray marble, with capitals and bases of 
white marble. The walls are decorated with fine paintings by 
Hess, and there are thirty-four medallion portraits of the popes 
above the columns. The sarcophagus of Lewis I. and his queen, 
Theresa, is at the right of the entrance. There was a funeral 
service at the church while we were there. The coffin was cov- 
ered with lighted candles, and the priest burnt incense over it. 
The double quartette choir sang most beautifully, accompanied by 
the rich-toned organ, which was of peculiar shape, being in four 
separate, upright sections, without any ornamentation whatever. 

( )ur next excursion in sight-seeing took us to the English 
Garden. This, after an hour's drive through its labyrinth of 
trees, we found to be a very extensive park, beautifully laid out 
in carriage-drives and foot-paths. It is watered by two arms of 
the Isar river, which has a very picturesque little water-fall, and 
nestled among the leafy trees is a pretty little lake which is used 
for boating, signified by the many bright-colored boats which 
lay at anchor. Another important ornament to the grounds is 
a small Grecian temple built of marble, consisting of a canopy 
supported by ten columns, erected by Lewis I. and situated on 
the summit of a fresh, green, closely-shaven knoll. Then there 
is a Chinese tower, a cafe, restaurant, and also an enclosed deer 
park. 



MUNICH. Ill 

Our coachman then took us to the king's palace, where 
with a large party of others, we were piloted through the various 
apartments (by the custodian); a ball room of great splendor 
and magnificence ; two card rooms, with portraits around the 
wall of thirty-six remarkably handsome ladies in elegant cos- 
tumes, painted so delicately that the beautiful gauzy lace looked 
too real for the painter's brush ; the battle-saloon, containing 
twelve large paintings of battle scenes from 1805 to 1815 ; the 
Hall of Charlemagne, representing this king in seventeen differ- 
ent scenes; the Barbarossa Hall, of the same nature; the Haps- 
burg Saloon, and the Throne Saloon, with six superb bronze 
statues, more than life-size, on either side, and at the end a gold 
and garnet throne. The furniture of these apartments is up- 
holstered in various tints of satin. Next came five rooms con- 
taining twenty-seven large pictures, completely covering the four 
walls of each room, telling the story of a German poem, with 
Sigfried and Chriemhild as the hero and heroine. These fres- 
coes are by Schnorr. We were not acquainted with the poem, 
and so could not fully appreciate it. I wanted very much to see 
the treasury of this palace, which is said to contain a splendid 
blue diamond, a pearl half-black and half-white, and several 
other rare and beautiful precious stones. But it was the wiong 
day for that exhibition, so we had to submit to "the powers that 
be." 

From here we went to the Allerheiligen Hofkirche or Court 
Chapel, comparatively small, but elegant in taste and design in 
the interior. The walls are covered with a variety of marbles, and 
the arches are supported by columns of mottled marble. The 
vaulting and arches are ornamented with frescoes by Hess. 
Everything shines with splendor about it. Many of the squares 
of Munich are adorned with fine monuments, one to Schiller; 
that of king Maxmillian II., erected by his devoted people in 
1875. The king (in bronze), dressed in his coronation robes, 
stands on a red granite pedestal. He holds the constitution in 
his right hand and in his left a sword. At the base of the pedes- 
tal are figures representing Enlightenment, Strength, Justice and 



112 MUNICH. 

Peace. Above are children bearing the Bavarian coat-of-arms, 
and wreaths of laurels. An obelisk one hundred and five feet 
high, cast of the metal of guns captured in war, was erected to 
the memory of thirty thousand Bavarians who perished in the 
Russian war. These monuments were cast at Miller's foundry, 
and after receiving that information, of course we immediately 
started off to see these celebrated Bronze Works. 

We first entered the Museum, which contains the original 
models of all the statues cast in the foundry; among which are 
the equestrian statue of George Washington, which is erected in 
Richmond, Virginia; and the statue called Emancipation — 
Abraham Lincoln, standing with the roll of the Constitution in 
one hand, and the other outstretched towards the negro, who 
kneels at his feet with his fetters broken. This is erected at 
Washington and Boston. We were much interested in seeing 
how the work of moulding and casting is done in the foundry, 
and watching the men at the different processes, from the liquid 
metal to the finishing touches of the artist's file. They were 
casting a bronze statue which is to be called Germania, and will 
be one hundred feet high — a female figure — to be erected at 
Bingen on the Rhine. It is so large that it had to be cast in 
several pieces. The feet and garments up to the waist was in 
one piece, the body in another, the head in another, etc. 

We visited the Academy of Arts and Sciences, where we were 
exceedingly delighted with the collection of minerals, which are 
rare and beautiful, and the collection of fossils, considered the 
most comprehensive in Europe. The quartz crystals are very 
fine. One is certainly more than two feet long, and two large 
pieces, each more than a foot in length, consisted of myriads of 
crystals promiscuously grouped together, but each slender and 
perfect, about the size of a lady's finger. Here are beautiful 
amethysts, clear and brilliant; rubies, topaz, serpentine, and 
many lovely stones of which I do not know the name — room 
after room filled with these treasures. In other apartments there 
were several skeletons of animals belonging to the early periods. 
The fossils of some of the larger animals are still imbedded in 



LAKE CONSTANCE. II3 

the slate in which they were fpund. There are petrified fish, 
shells and corals of all descriptions from all parts of the globe, 
some from Cincinnati, Ohio, some from Florida, and other parts 
of the United States. 

Our fourth and last day in Munich was the Sabbath. At the 
court church of St. Michael, which is about three hundred years 
old, we listened to very fine, classical music for an hour, male 
and female voices, accompanied by an organ and orchestra; the 
church was packed, there being scarcely standing room. After 
the audience had dispersed, soldiers came in, hundreds of them, 
and filled every seat so that other people had to stand. The 
priest preached to them about half an hour, and at the tap of the 
bell every soldier dropped on his knees, making the sign of the 
cross on his face and breast, and remained kneeling until the 
signal to arise, when with one accord they changed their position 
with the same dexterity and uniformity as if on drill. The ser- 
vices closed with several pieces of soul-stirring, sacred music, 
rendered by the brass band. 

Early Monday morning we left Munich. We passed through 
Augsburg, where" Charles V. held his illustrious diets ; that of 
1530, at which the Protestant Princes presented to the Emperor 
and the Estates the Augsburg Confession — the reformed creed 
framed by Melanchthon. We reached Friedrichshafen soon 
after noon. At this depot, instead of using trucks to convey 
the luggage from the depot to the steamboat-landing, a tall, wiry 
woman performed this menial duty. A large, portly, muscular 
man weighed her down with budgets until she had two enor- 
mous valises in each hand, any one of which a woman of ordin- 
ary strength could not have managed, and a good sized shawl- 
case under each arm.' I was wondering if he would not set one 
on her head, when off she started at such a brisk pace that we 
with difficulty kept up with her. 

We crossed Lake Constance to the town of Constance. For 

some time it rained pretty hard, but we stayed on deck under 

our umbrellas to enjoy the scenery. This lake is forty miles 

long and seven and a half wide; and the depth of water where 

9 



114 FALLS OF SCHAFFHAUSEN. 

we crossed is about nine hundred feet. It is of a dark green 
color, and forms the boundary of three different countries — Ger- 
many, Austria and Switzerland. The scenery is not considered 
as fine as on the other Swiss lakes, although it is very pretty 
with its banks of green hillsides dotted with villages and the 
Alps mountains in the distance. When we reached Constance 
we immediately took another steamer down the Rhine river to 
Schaffhausen, where we arrived early in the evening, and stayed 
over night. 

Soon after leaving Lake Constance the steamer entered the 
Untersee, the greatest width of which (five miles) is at Berlin- 
gen. Not far distant from this point the scenery is very, pictur- 
esque. The handsome chateau of Salenstein stands on a lofty 
pinnacle, and this pyramid is so completely covered with trees 
from base to summit that it looks as though the chateau rests on 
the top of the trees. On an adjacent hill, with beautiful grounds, 
is the chateau of Arenaberg, formerly the residence of Queen 
Hortense, the mother of Napoleon III. At Stein the river be- 
comes much narrower. The loveliest rainbow spanned the 
Rhine — one end rested in a soft, velvety, green meadow, fresh- 
ened by the shower, and the other in a quiet, little village, built 
of white stone, with its church spires pointing heavenward, 
looking for all the world like a pretty picture from a book of 
poems; the violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red 
of the bow, so distinctly visible that it appeared like a fairy sus- 
pension bridge, far exceeding the one at Niagara, or that marvel 
of wonder which connects Brooklyn with New York. Yes, it 
surpasses them in beauty and strength and endurance ; it is ever 
lasting — its maker and builder is God. 

Early next morning we went by train to the little village of 
Newhausen, a distance of but two miles, and remained there 
four hours to view the Falls of Schaffhausen, the finest in Europe. 
They are indeed very grand, but nothing to compare with our 
own Niagara. From the station we followed a winding, shady 
path down a sloping hill, and crossed over a bridge to the 
Schlosschen Worth (a restaurant), situated on an island opposite 



FALLS OF SCHAFFHAUSEN. Iir 

to the falls. It is a sort of tower shaped stone building, with a 
balcony or verandah around it, from which we had a fine gen- 
eral view of the falls. The Rhine river, three hundred and 
seventy-five feet in width above the falls, is precipitated in three 
leaps over a rocky ledge. The rapids, the whirlpool, and the 
falls, taken together, are about one hundred feet in height. 
Here we sat for some time, gazing at this grand beauty of nature. 
Two gigantic rocks, and two of smaller dimensions, rise above the 
falls, just where the water comes tumbling down with frantic mad- 
ness. The middle and highest rock is visited by fearless tourists 
by means of a row-boat. I thought I should like to go, but con- 
cluded to watch another party, consisting of a gentleman and 
his two daughters, make the trip first. As they neared the rock, 
the little boat was tossed like a feather on the foaming billows. 
or as a tiny shell on the ocean wave. My heart stood still. 
The boat was whirled round and round, hither and thither, 
while the oarsmen with their strong arms battled for the mastery, 
and at last anchored ; and the party, drenched with the spray, 
ascended the rock by a path, protected by an iron railing, to the 
little pavilion on the summit, where they waved their handker- 
chiefs to us across the Rhine. I turned to my husband and said 
I would not go to the rock under any consideration. He 
laughed at the sudden change of mind, and we stepped into a 
boat, and crossed the river to what is called the Fischet, an iron 
platform projecting over the foaming abyss, with a pavilion. 
This is considered the grandest view of all. The water comes 
leaping down in a terrific manner, deafening the ear with its 
sound ; and the spray gives the beholder a gratuitous shower- 
bath, making it necessary for him to be protected by a rubber 
cloak which the custodian of the grounds provides. We fol- 
lowed the path a little higher up the hill, and passed through a 
romantic rocky gallery, where the water dashing over the rocks 
sounded like the thumping made by the revolutions of a might v 
water-wheel. We emerged upon a wooden platform which com- 
manded a view several feet higher than the Fischet. Still 
ascending the hill, we reached an iron pavilion, where we could 
look down upon the cataract. 



1X6 LUCERNE. 

On the summit of this wooded hill we reached the Schloss 
Laufen, a picturesque castle, the proprietor of which owns the 
beautiful grounds on this side the Rhine and charges a small ad- 
mittance. Close to this mansion is a very pretty pavilion with 
stained-glass windows, furnished with a centre table and chairs, 
where we obtained still a different view of the falls, and the 
bridge called the Rheinfallbriicke, six hundred and thirty feet 
long, directly above the falls, which is both a railroad and foot- 
bridge. 

We walked over it to the other side, and followed the shady, 
romantic path skirting the edge of the precipice leading through 
the village, where we shortly took the train for Lucerne, by way 
of Bale and Olten. We passed through the Hanenstein tunnel, 
twenty-nine hundred and seventy yards long, and as the German 
trains creep along very slowly, it seemed much longer. In 1857, 
when this tunnel was being made, sixty-three workmen were 
buried alive by a fall of earth. The train skirted the bank of 
Lake Sempach for several miles. 

Upon arriving at Lucerne we found we should just have time 
to get our tea before going to the Organ Concert at the Hof- 
kirche, which began at half-past six o'clock in the evening. 
This famous organ is so constructed that it can be made to pro- 
duce the sound of nearly every other musical instrument. We 
were rapt with wonder and admiration during the entire hour. 
The organist, an elderly gentleman, seemed to control this giant 
monster as if by magic, instantly subduing the loudest peals to 
the sweetest strains, at other times gradually diminishing from 
the most powerful swells of which the organ was capable to the 
softest notes of a music-box, then ceasing entirely until we had 
heard the faint echo. We were unable to determine whether 
this echo was produced by the organist or by the reverberations 
in the church. We heard a choir of voices, accompanied by an 
orchestra, each part clear and distinct, but on turning around 
we saw no one but the old man touching the keys with his fairy 
fingers, causing us to wonder if we were in the land of dreams. 
Solos by the Alpine horn, violin, Mute, etc., attended with mag- 



LAKE LUCERNE- 117 

nificent choruses, all came from the keys of this wonderful organ. 
But the grandest effort of all was a thunder-storm amid the 
Alps. At first the mutterings of the thunder were heard in the 
distance, then it came rolling on in its power and grandeur, 
until it fairly shook the windows of the church, filling the hear- 
ers with reverential awe, as when it comes in reality ; then came 
the rain -drops upon the roof, first a gentle patter, then a steady, 
heavy shower ; and instinctively every eye in the audience was 
cast towards the windows, as if expecting to see a genuine storm. 
And when all was over, and the audience began to disperse, I 
remained spell-bound for a moment, scarcely realizing where I 
was, wondering at what the brain and fingers of one man had 
accomplished. On returning to our hotel, we crossed over a 
curious old bridge, covered with a roof, in the inner compart- 
ments of which are one hundred and fifty-four paintings, repre- 
senting historical events in Switzerland. 

The next morning we awoke to welcome in the fifth anniver- 
sary of our wedding day, the memorable twelfth of July, and 
thought a delightful way to celebrate it would be by a sail across 
the beautiful lake Lucerne, the most charming and picturesque 
of the Swiss lakes. It has so many promontories extending into 
it that its banks are very irregular. When pictured on a map 
it looks like a spider with its legs stretched in every direction, 
or like the species of mollusks denominated Octopus Vulgaris, 
It is twenty-three miles long, from one to two miles wide, and 
its greatest depth five hundred and ten feet. After being com- 
fortably seated on deck we took a backward look at Lucerne, 
with its towers and battlements, which indeed formed a lovely 
picture. Immediately to the left rises the lofty Rigi, four thou- 
sand four hundred and seventy-two feet above the level of the 
lake, the highest point of a group of mountains, twenty-five miles 
in circumference, so often ascended by tourists, stopping at Lu- 
cerne, by means of the new railway. Near the base of this moun- 
tain are groves of almond, fig and chestnut trees, and higher up 
terraced slopes covered with verdure, affording pasture for more 
than four thousand head of cattle. On the opposite side of the 



I 1 8 BRUNIG PASS. 

lake looms up, to the height of six thousand nine hundred and 
ninety-eight feet, the wild, barren, serrated cliffs of Pilatus, fes- 
tooned with clouds from which it is reputed scarcely ever to be 
free. Facing the traveler in the distance the scenery is magni- 
ficent ! — one mountain rising above another, of different shades 
and hues. Every variety is seen on this lake— the purest snow- 
white mountains, all tints of green, from the lightest to the 
darkest shades, and brown, barren rocky peaks, lending variety 
and charm to the whole. 

Perhaps my readers all remember the story of Gessler compel- 
ling William Tell to shoot an apple from the head of his son, 
and after it was skillfully achieved, Gessler asked him what he 
meant to do with a second arrow in his girdle : " To have shot 
you, if it had slain my son," was the reply; whereupon Tell was 
seized, bound and thrown into a boat on Lake Lucerne, to be 
imprisoned in a castle. But a sudden storm arose; Tell was the 
only one on board who knew the shore, and could safely guide 
the helm; entrusted with this, he- ran the boat near a rocky 
ledge, seized his bow and arrows, sprang on shore, and thus 
gained his freedom. 

We reached Alpnach a little before noon, and there took a 
carriage (as the diligence was full), and crossed the Alps by the 
Brunig Pass, a distance of twenty-five miles, to Brienz, where we 
arrived about five o'clock in the afternoon. It rained nearly all 
the way, but as we were dressed warmly and well protected, we 
did not suffer. This Pass, although not so bold and wonderful 
as the Simplon, is pleasing and picturesque. The road winds 
easily up the mountain, requiring only two horses for a carriage, 
except for a distance of about two miles, where a third horse was 
called into service. A tall, strong woman, with no outside 
wraps, not even a bonnet, with her back hair braided with white 
ribbon (a style peculiar to the Swiss women along these lake 
shores) walked this whole distance through the cold, driving 
rain, and at the end of the two miles led the horse back to the 
hotel. Many Swiss and German women do the work of men, 
ploughing, sowing, and reaping in the fields with their husbands 



LAKE BRIENZ. II9 

and brothers. We rode along the bank of the little Lake Sarner, 
only about four miles long, and after a distance of a few miles, 
yhen, at quite a high elevation, we looked down into the peace- 
ful bosom of Lake Lungern nestled among the mountains. It 
a pretty sight, and although we could see it for a mile or 
two it was far too short a time. Our road wound through pine 
forests, with pretty views of the green valleys below and the lofty 
mountains around and above us, with charming cascades spirting 
and dashing down their sides. The delicate blue harebells spring- 
ing up in the crevices of the rocks filled their tiny cups with rain 
drops, and laughed at us poor travelers who were trying to keep 
out the rain with gossamers and blankets. As we neared Brienz 
the scenery became more bold, the road passing under project- 
ing rocks and skirting precipices. We were glad to seek shelter 
•"or the night at the White Cross hotel. 
Next morning — 

" When the mists had rolled in splendor, 
From the beauty of the hills, 
And the sunshine warm and tender, 
Fell in kisses on the 1 ills' ' — 

we stepped on board a small steamer on Lake Brienz, which is 
situated very much like Lake Lucerne, with lofty mountains on 
either side rising immediately from the lake ; but is much 
smaller, being only nine miles long. We passed the lowest fall 
of the Giessbach, which empties its volume of water into the 
lake. It consists of a series of seven cascades, leaping over the 
rocks from a height of more than a thousand feet above the lake. 
And there are two pretty little islands covered with trees, from 
one of which peeps out a beautiful Swiss cottage. This lake, 
with its shores dotted with pretty villages and ruined castles, 
sheltered by lofty mountains, is a sight long to be remembered. 
We left the steamer at Bonigen, and went by train, a ten 
minutes trip, to Interlaken. The cars on this train had two 
stories ; of course for novelty we took seats in the upper story. 
Arriving at Interlaken we went to the Du Pont hotel, where from 



120 INTERLAKEN. 

the windows of our room we could see the Jungfrau (young wife) 
mountain. Interlaken is a town romantically situated between 
Lake Brienz and Lake Thun, and hemmed in on the other two 
sides by towering ranges of mountains ; this strip of land is two 
miles long. There are two small villages adjoining Interlaken, 
called Unterseen and Aarmiihle ; the population of the three 
together being four thousand and eighty. This is a very fash- 
ionable summer resort, from whence many interesting excursions 
are made to Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, etc. We found many 
Germans, English, and Americans spending a few weeks in this 
delightful place. There are forty-five hotels in these three villa- 
ges, and many of them, especially on the Hoheweg, are grand 
establishments with lovely grounds, flowers in abundance, foun- 
tains, pretty rustic arbors, and everything more like elegant 
private mansions than hotels. There are a few pretty Swiss cot- 
tages decorated profusely with wood carvings, and having so 
many nooks and corners, verandahs and queer-shaped roofs, so 
light and airy that they look more fit to be the homes of fairies 
than those of romping boys and girls. While many of the struc- 
tures are of fine design, and of new and stylish construction, the 
village is not wanting in many quaint old Swiss buildings with 
projecting roofs, and made of hewn logs, such as we see in every 
picture of Alpine scenery. The lion of the place is the Jung- 
frau, towering up to the majestic height of thirteen thousand six 
hundred and seventy-one feet, covered with her mantle of per- 
petual snow, pyramidal in shape, surrounded by other mountains 
arrayed in living green. It is a sight of which the eye never 
tires. 

Retracing our steps to the station of Aarmiihle, from thence 
following a most romantic path, with here and there a guide- 
board pointing out the way, we soon reached the foot of the 
Heimweh Fluh (homesick mountain), which is quite easy of 
ascent, as wooden steps have been constructed in places to assist 
the traveler, and occasionally there are rustic seats, where one 
may rest' and gather strength for the onward march. We had 
soon reached the restaurant, and from the Terrace, which com- 



INTERLAKEN. 121 

mands a fine view of the lakes Brienz and Thun, we looked 
down upon these lovely sheets of water far beneath ns — such 
near neighbors, and yet each minding its own business : no 
envy, no rivalry here. Ascending a little higher to the small 
belvedere, we beheld the Jungfrau, Monch, and Eiger in all 
their magnificent splendor, each lifting his snowy head as if 
to pierce the sunlight of heaven. The Hoheweg is tJie street of 
Interlaken, a delightful avenue of walnuts, lined with shops dis- 
playing the most exquisite wood carving and charming Swiss 
landscapes in oil painting. Wood carving is carried on here 
quite extensively, and in other towns along the lakes Brienz and 
Thun. They ship it to Geneva and other cities. Here we saw 
almost everything beautifully carved out of wood — delicate vases, 
paper knives, handsome fans, pen-holders, crumbqjans and 
brushes, nut crackers, brackets, animals large and small, horses, 
cows, deer, lions, bears, and dogs, busts, and so on, as natural 
as life. Oh, the most tempting things ! but too bulky to carry 
in a tourist's satchel. One shop had a superb collection of oil 
paintings on porcelain. I could not leave without purchasing a 
copy of Raphael's blue Madonna and Guido Reni's Beatrice. 
We walked through the grounds of the Kursaal, a lovely Swiss 
cottage with tasty garden, clean, neat walks, flowers and foliage, 
where there was a fine concert, illumination, and fire-works, in 
the evening. Still further up the Hoheweg we reached the 
monastery and nunnery, now suppressed. A part of the mon- 
astery is used as a hospital, and the rest for government build- 
ings. The nunnery has been changed into a prison. Four 
different denominations now worship in the old Monastery 
church, viz., Episcopal, French Protestant, Scotch Presbyterian, 
and Catholic. It is a very queer old church, barnlike and un- 
inviting in the interior. At one point in the beautiful street I 
have described, there are no buildings on the side towards the 
Jungfrau, as it would be considered almost sacrilegious to cut off 
the view of so grand a spectacle. But rather, under the spread- 
ing branches of the stately walnuts, are comfortable seats, where 
on a warm day one may sit and be revived by the cool breezes 



122 1NTERLAKEN. 

from this mountain of snow. I must say I fell in love with In- 
terlaken. It is the most fascinating little village to one of a 
poetical turn of mind. I say of it what Horace did of Sabinum, 
" Hie terrarum noter praeter, omnes angulus ridet " — this piece 
of earth has pleased me more than any other ; and if I ever 
live to be an old lady with cap and spectacles, too feeble to be 
of any service to mankind, I could ask for no more enchanting 
spot to spend my latter days than in one of these snug Swiss 
cottages, where I could gaze upon the Jungfrau, this majestic 
pile of purity sparkling in God's sunlight — this matchless picture 
from the brush of the Almighty. 

We enjoyed a sail of eleven miles on Lake Thun, its entire 
length. It is very similar to its neighboring lake, having pre- 
cipitous mountains on either side, some snow-capped, others 
green and brown, the most distinguished being the Niesen, a 
regular-shaped pyramid seven thousand seven hundred and 
sixty-three feet high— the Jungfrau, Monch, Eiger, Schreckhorn, 
and Wetterhorn. This lake is remarkably deep, measuring 
eighteen hundred and thirty-seven feet. On its bank is the town 
of Spiez, where there is a grand old chateau which has belonged 
to one family for three hundred years. The water of all these 
lakes in this part of Switzerland is emerald green, so bright that 
the foliage looks dingy when compared with it. 

At the town of Thun, we took' the first train for Strassburg, 
stopping at Berne (the city of which the bear is the heraldic em- 
blem) for dinner, and at Bale over night, where we found a 
budget of news awaiting us from America, among which was a 
long, newsy letter from one of our church elders. 



CHAPTER VI. 

Strassburg, Germany, is a city of one hundred thousand 
inhabitants. It is situated two miles from the river Rhine, with 
which it is connected by two canals. It was founded by the 
Romans in the sixth century, and is mostly made up of an- 
cient buildings. The streets are very narrow and crooked, some 
of them barely -wide enough for a carriage to pass through, and 
darkened by the roofs of houses, almost touching each other, in 
the same manner as in Genoa, which I have before described. 
In 1681, Louis XIV. of France seized the city of Strassburg, but 
in 1S71 the Germans regained possession of it. It is fortified by 
a belt of thirteen strong outworks, some of them four or five 
miles from the town. Goethe was educated here. 

Although Strassburg is very ancient, and has narrow, uninvit- 
ing streets, yet it has many attractions. Fine monuments are 
to be seen here and there, among which is that of Gutenberg, 
the inventor of printing in the year 1436; it is in bronze. Gut- 
enberg stands with a printed manuscript in his hand, and by his 
side is a primitive printing press. The four bass-reliefs on the 
pedestal represent the gratitude of the nations from the four 
quarters of the globe. The one representing America, contains 
the figures of George Washington, Franklin, John Quincy 
Adams, and others. 

The magnificent cathedral, containing the wonderful, world- 
renowned clock, is of Gothic architecture, and the exterior is 
almost as beautiful as the cathedral of Milan. From the oppo- 
site side of the street we stopped to admire its splendid facade, 
rich with ornamentation ; three grand arched portals — one mass 
of sculpture; hundreds of statues — among the finest Gothic 
works in existence. It has two great square towers, from one of 
which rises the light open-work steeple to the dizzy height of 

( I2 3) 



124 STRASSBURG. 

four hundred and sixty-five feet, being higher than St. Peter's at 
Rome, or St. Paul's at London. The interior is lighted with 
stained-glass windows, of the fifteenth century, of extraordinary 
size and rich colors — golden, purple, crimson, and blue, blend- 
ing harmoniously. The large rose window, forty-two feet in 
diameter, over the portals, is peculiarly lovely. Fourteen mas- 
sive cluster-pillars support the lofty arched roof. There are two 
large organs, one in the choir and the other in the nave, pro- 
jecting over an arch, making people philosophize how the per- 
former could get to it. It looks like a double organ — a small 
one in front of a large one. Then the pulpit of delicately carved 
stone is superb! so beautifully wrought that some parts of it 
look like lace or embroidery. The baptismal font is similar, 
though not so fine. In the south transept is the large astronom- 
ical clock, which took several years to construct it, made by 
Schwilgne, of Strassburg. Its exterior is of different colored 
marble and bronze. It looks like an immense high altar at first 
sight, perhaps thirty feet high. At the base is a large globe, 
"showing the precession of the equinoxes, solar and lunar equa- 
tions for calculating geocentric ascension and declination of the 
sun and moon at true times and places." Back of this is a large 
dial, showing the day of the month, and the difference of time 
between certain localities. A female figure stands by the side of 
this dial, and with an arrow points to the day of the month. 
Then this dial has the hours and minutes on it, and several 
hands pointing to the time at New York, London, etc. At the 
right is the mechanism by which the mean tropical revolution 
of each planet, visible to the naked eye, is shown, and at the 
left that indicating the ecclesiastical year. Just above, and im- 
mediately under the first gallery, the' symbolic deity of each day 
comes out of the niche, and at the close of the day passes out 
of sight through another niche — Apollo on Sunday, Diana on 
Monday, etc. This being Saturday, Saturn was on exhibition — 
a man in a chariot, with a scythe over his shoulder, drawn by a 
mythical steed, with a cock's head and feet, and the body that 
of a serpent. On the front of the first gallery is the dial proper 



STRASSBURG. 



of the clock, to the left of which sits an angel which strikes the 
quarters of the hour on a bell in his hand, and to the right an- 
other angel reverses an hour-glass, which he holds in his hands, 
when the sand has all run through. Back of this is a large dial 
indicating the signs of the zodiac and the planetary system. 
Above this is a globe representing the moon. The dark side 
was turned out, as it was the time in the month when the moon 
did not shine. Above is the second gallery, where stands a 
skeleton which strikes the hours on a bell with a leg bone. He 
raises his arm painfully slow, as if he had rheumatism, but strikes 
with a good deal of force when his club comes down. At the 
first quarter a figure representing Boyhood comes out of a niche, 
and with a wand strikes one on a bell, then passing in front of 
the skeleton he skips out through another niche on the other 
side. Next comes Youth, and strikes the second quarter in a 
sprightly manner with his shepherd's staff; Manhood, a soldier 
bold, with his weapon of war, strikes the third quarter, and at 
the end of the hour decrepit Old Age hobbles out, and with quite 
an effort raises his crutch and gives the bell four strokes, then 
slowly totters out of sight. In the third gallery stands a figure 
of the Saviour, and at twelve o'clock the twelve Apostles move 
around him. At the right of the clock is a winding staircase 
reaching to the top of the clock. At the left is a tower contain- 
ing the weights, on the top of which is a rooster which stretches 
his neck, flaps his wings, and crows at twelve o'clock. This re- 
markable clock regulates itself. We were interested in watching 
its performances for nearly two hours. 

This is the city where the storks build their nests on large, 
flat-topped chimneys, apparently of brushwood. They make a 
very pretty ornament to a house, standing on the top of the 
chimney with their long, slender legs, long bills, and white 
breasts. One nest had three young ones in it, stretching their 
necks and opening their mouths wide for food. 

Of course we went to see the Lutheran church of St. Thomas, 
a plain Gothic structure of the thirteenth century. The choir 
contains a very fine marble monument to Marshal Saxe. Pigalle 



126 STRASSBURG. 

labored twenty years on this piece of sculpture. The Marshal, 
in a calm, resolute manner, is going down the steps which lead 
to his grave ; a skeleton figure, wrapt in a winding sheet, repre- 
senting Death, is holding open the lid of the sarcophagus with 
one hand, and in the other holds an hour-glass, telling him that 
his time has come; while a female figure, representing France, 
strives to hold him back with one hand, and to drive away Death 
with the other. Hercules with sorrowful countenance supports 
himself with his club at the foot of the tomb. On the left is the 
Austrian eagle (lying upon its back); the English leopard, 
si retched helpless upon the ground; and the Dutch lion held at 
bay, gnashing his teeth, with the broken flags beneath them. 
On the opposite side, the flags of the victorious party are waving 
ln the breeze, the whole representing the Marshal's victories over 
these countries in the Flemish wars. Near by is the sarcophagus 
of Bishop Adeloch. There are double aisles on each side of the 
nave, and the large. organ is over the entrance. In the right 
transept, in a metallic coffin, is a mummy, the Duke of Nassau 
a general killed on the field of battle in the thirty years' war 
dressed in the clothes he used to wear ; also a mummy dressed 
in steel-colored silk, with handsome, wide, real lace in her sleeves 
and about her neck, and a diamond ring on her finger. Here 
is also the tomb of James Oberlin, Professor of Ancient Litera- 
ture and Antiquities, who died in 1806. I wonder if my Alma 
Mater in Ohio was not named after him. We were shown a 
large shell which fell at a distance of thirty feet from the monu- 
ment without bursting, just two days before the surrender of the 
town in 1870. 

On Sabbath, we attended services in this church. The civil 
service began at nine o'clock and the military service at eleven 
We were belated a little by having to wait for our breakfast, and 
so were not there on time. And behold ! as in the case of the 
foolish virgins, the door was shut, and locked. We went to an- 
other door, but gained no admittance ; so we went back to the 
principal entrance, and looking up, I spied a sort of wooden 
handle dangling from a long, slender wire, and said, " I believe 



STRASSBURG. 1 27 

that's a door-bell." " A door-bell on a church ! " said my hus- 
band, derisively. "Yes; you pull it, and see if it isn't." Imme- 
diately upon so doing, the door was unlocked, and we were told 
that the services had begun and we could not enter. We tried 
to step in, and just as the man was about to shut us out. the 
sacristan, with whom we talked the day before, poked his head 
out at the door, and then said to the doorkeeper, " Let them in. 
The gentleman is a Lutheran clergyman from America." On 
tiptoe he took us to the first seat, where we listened a full hour 
to a German sermon. As I could only understand a word now 
and then, I fell to moralizing thus : " Well, if American church- 
goers knew that the doors would be locked at the beginning of 
the service, they would always be in their seats to hear the first 
note of the organ, and if those who complain when the sermon 
is half an hour long, would go to Germany and receive treat- 
ment for awhile, they might be cured." The singing by the con- 
gregation was soul-stirring. Between this and the military 
service several persons remained for communion. Precisely at 
eleven o'clock the second service began. It was a beautiful 
sight to look over that vast audience of soldiers, dressed in their 
uniforms, with their swords at their sides, listening attentively 
through the lengthy discourse. It seemed so fitting and right that 
they should be permitted to lay aside their duties, and come up to 
the house of the Lord to worship Him in spirii and in truth ; and 
who more than they need the prayers and admonitions from the 
sacred desk, for are they not called to face death every day ? A 
few of the soldiers constituted a choir, and rendered all four 
parts in rich harmony, standing in front of Marshal Saxe's mon- 
ument ; the whole army, accompanied by the powerful organ, 
swelled the grand choruses till the vaulted arches caught up the 
strain, and sent the echo back again. 

The next morning we were off for Heidelberg, where we ar- 
rived in about five hours by train, and selected the Schloss hotel, 
away up on a hill near the castle. The drive from the station 
to the hotel, which occupied twenty minutes, was charming. 
At first we passed through the Leopold street, to the right of 



128 HEIDELBERG. 

which is a beautiful park, displaying great taste in its arrange- 
ment and ornamentation; then we began to wind up the hill, 
back and forth, until the town rested far beneath us on the banks 
of the river Neckar. We were given a room at the very tip-top 
of the hotel, it being much crowded during "the season;" but 
we did not complain, as it commanded a most excellent view of 
the castle, the one thing we came to see. After walking for 
some little distance through a shady, romantic path, we found 
ourselves in the castle garden ; passing along the great terrace, 
and by the restaurant, then crossing the bridge over the moat, 
we came to the gateway with its formidable portcullis, under 
the square watch-tower, by which we entered the court. 

Heidelberg Castle is an immense structure, surrounded with 
massive stone walls and a deep, wide moat. It was founded in 
the thirteenth century, but has undergone many alterations since 
then. It was nearly all burned down, rebuilt, struck by light- 
ning, and partly blown up by the French ; so it is now in a very 
ruinous condition. The part directly facing us is called the 
Friedrichsbau, consisting of four stories, Doric, Tuscan, Ionic, 
and Corinthian, with the facade completely covered with orna- 
mentation, life-size statues in niches, rich tracery, etc. Within, 
on the second floor, is a small museum, containing several pic- 
tures of princes, former occupants of the castle, very ancient 
documents, a model of the castle, two handsome sets of porcelain 
China, used by the kings, a curious clock, two hundred years 
old, a case filled with coins, Carl Theodor's cradle, Luther's 
wedding-ring — abroad, chased band of gold with a small garnet 
set — and other relics. An arched passage leads under this part 
of the castle to the Great Balcony, a broad stone platform, per- 
haps eighty feet long, with a heaVy cut-stone railing ; and at 
either end, a small stone pavilion, from which you can look 
down upon the town of Heidelberg, three hundred and thirty 
feet below, with its celebrated university building and its grand 
old bridge across the Neckar. In the corner, to the left of the 
Friedrichsbau, is the entrance to the wine-cellar, containing the 
celebrated Heidelberg Tun, an immense cask holding fifty thou- 



HEIDELBERG. I2Q 

sand gallons; and just think of it, it has been filled with wine and 
emptied three times during its existence. Imagine a barrel thirty- 
two feet long, twenty-six feet high, and the diameter of the head 
twenty-two feet, with a staircase on either side leading to a plat- 
form on the top. Of course, our whole party mounted it. Op- 
posite to the Tun stands a wooden figure of Perkeo, the court 
jester of Elector Charles Philip, with a wine-cup in his hand. 
It is reported as a fact that he used to drink eighteen bottles of 
wine in a day. There is also another Tun in this cellar, which 
holds ten thousand gallons. Above the cellar is the Ruprecht's 
Halle, further back is the Alte Bau, and beyond this, towards 
the Watch-tower, is the Ruprechtsbau. The large apartments 
inside were once used as banquet halls. Between the Dicke 
Thurm or Thick Tower (which we ascended), of which only one 
semicircular half now remains, and the Friedrichsbau, is the 
Elizabethenbau, which was erected by Frederick V., King of 
Bohemia, in honor of his consort Elizabeth, daughter of James 
I. of England. At the right of the Friedrichsbau is the Otto 
Heinrichsbau, with' a very fine facade ornamented with statues. 
In the corner between these two buildings rises the Octagonal 
Tower, which we ascended ; and while surveying the city below, 
we were accosted by a lady and her daughter, with whom we be- 
came acquainted in Paris ; romantic, indeed, was our place of 
meeting. At the other end of the Heinrichsbau, in the corner, 
is the Gesprengte Thurm, or blown-up tower, which is ninety- 
three feet in diameter. The walls are twenty-one feet thick, and 
so solidly constructed that when the French tried to blow it up, 
one huge part separated, and fell in an unbroken mass into the 
moat, where we looked down upon it from the top of what now 
remains. This tower is the most picturesque part of the struc- 
ture to my mind, with its jagged, mutilated top, cavernous holes, 
and broken arches completely overrun with the kindly ivy 
which seeks to hide its wounds with its clinging tendrils. One of 
these sympathizing nurses is two hundred years old, its stems near 
the ground being as large as the trunk of an ordinary-sized tree ; 
its leaves large, fresh, and green. There are two old chapels 



130 WORMS. 

in this castle ; one has a few shabby oil paintings, the best pre- 
served of which is a portrait of the man by whose direction the 
Great Tun was made ; and the other has a ground floor, with noth- 
ing remaining but the bare walls and some iron chandeliers. 
We were taken through dark, subterranean passages, which in 
days past resounded with the tread of armed soldiers. After 
passing out under the Watch Tower we turned to the right, and 
entered a delightful garden filled with large shade trees, with 
pleasant seats from which the exterior of the castle could be 
viewed. 

After resting here we crossed the bridge, and once more were 
in the Schloss Garten, where we listened to a fine concert given 
by an orchestra. Then from the great terrace we took another 
parting look at this splendid pile of ruins, unrivalled anywhere 
in Germany, and I doubt if in Europe: 

" 'Tis with the thankful glance of parting praise; 

More mighty spots may rise — more glaring shine, 
But none unite in one attaching maze, 

The brilliant, fair, and soft — the glories of old days." 

The next morning my husband ascended the mountain back 
of the castle on foot to the Molkencur, which is one hundred 
and ninety feet above the castle ; then climbing still higher to 
the Koriig's Stuhl (King's Chair), nine hundred and five feet 
above the castle, and more than eighteen hundred feet above the 
sea level. There is a tower ninety-three feet high on the top of 
this mountain (which is a spur of the Geisberg), and of course 
he was not satisfied until he had reached the summit of this, 
where he had a grand view of the Castle, the Neckar, the Rhine, 
and the old Black Forest of legendary tales. Looking directly 
east from the top of the tower, a most remarkable sight presented 
itself — a dividing line, as straight as an arrow, in the forest 
separated the oak from the pine. 

An hour's ride on the train brought us to Worms, and we were 
soon in the Luther Platz, which is tastily ornamented with par- 
terres of beautiful, blooming roses of all colors, from the most 



FRANKFORT. 13I 

delicate tints to the rich, deep hues, and shady trees with invit- 
ing seats beneath. In the centre is the imposing monument of 
Martin Luther, the great Reformer. A platform forty-eight feet 
square has a large pedestal of granite in the centre, surrounded 
by one of bronze ornamented with reliefs, representing scenes 
in the life of Luther, and medallion portraits of others who as- 
sisted in the Reformation. On this stands the majestic figure of 
Luther in bronze, eleven feet in height ; he holds a Bible in his 
hand, and his noble face full of courage and faith is lifted heav- 
enward. At the corners of the pedestal are seated Huss, Savon- 
arola, Wyckliffe, and Petrus Waldus. On the four corners of 
the platform are granite pedestals surmounted by statues of 
Philip the Generous of Hessen, Frederick the Wise of Saxony, 
Melanchthon and Reuchlin, each nine feet high. Between these 
on smaller pedestals are allegorical figures of towns, representing 
Magdeburg (mourning), Augsburg (making confession), and 
Speyer (protesting). Between these figures are the coats of arms 
of the twenty-four towns of Germany which first received the 
Protestant religion. 

From here we walked to the Cathedral, and took a good look 
at its exterior. It is a very large edifice, with four towers. It 
was in front of this church that the quarrel between Brunhilde 
and Chriemhilde occurred, which is spoken of in the Nibelungen, 
and which we saw portrayed in painting at Munich. A short 
distance from this cathedral, where the fine Heyl'sche Haus 
now stands, was formerly the Episcopal Palace, in which Luther 
made his defense before Emperor Charles V., and a large audi- 
ence, in 15 21, closing with these words : " Here I stand; I can- 
not act otherwise : God help me! Amen." These words are on 
his monument. The garden surrounding this mansion, which 
now belongs to an English gentleman, is open to the public, and 
is very attractive. 

Again we entered the railway train, and reaching Frankfort 
soon after sunset, took up our abode at the Frankfurter Hof, a 
very fine hotel, with all the modern improvements, elevator, 
etc., and lavishly ornamented with granite columns, accommo- 



I 3 2 



FRANKFORT. 



dating hundreds of guests. Our first sight was the Ariadneum, 
a round stone building in which is exhibited an exquisite piece 
of sculpture "Ariadne on the Panther," the masterpiece of Dan- 
necker. It revolves on a pedestal, and every part seems perfect. 
The light falling from the stained glass window above upon the 
crimson curtain which encloses it, gives the white marble a flesh 
tint. This, together with the perfect form of the limbs arms 
and body, give it a very life-like appearance. She is the em- 
bodiment of grace from the tip of her delicately-formed foot to 
the crown of her beautiful head. If I say it is magnificent, that 
does but half express it. Go and gaze upon it yourself, and 
there drink in the wondrous beauty from the sculptor's chisel. 

From here we went to the Zoological Garden, and found it to 
be on quite a large scale. The grounds are extensive, affording 
sufficient room for the large collection of animals, birds and 
reptiles to move about freely. Here we saw an immense ele- 
phant, the largest in Europe, now that Jumbo has been trans- 
ferred from the Zoological Gardens in London to Barnum's 
Menagerie in America. The keeper performed all sorts of tricks 
with him for our amusement. It was indeed comical to see this 
great, clumsy, ugly animal attempt to dance, and ever since, 
when I hear a person trying to play a waltz or some quick piece, 
adapted to the piano, on a cabinet organ, I am reminded of his 
awkward attempts. We were shown (as a special favor) a cute 
little zebra only three days old, all legs and head; but with the 
characteristic stripes distinctly marked. There is also a very 
good sea-water aquarium in connection with these gardens. 

The Stadel Art Institute next claimed our attention. On 
the ground floor are a great many casts of celebrated pieces of 
sculpture which we had seen in other cities; and on the upper 
floor, the Picture Gallery, consisting of twenty-three rooms and 
several cabinets containing works from the early Italian, Flemish, 
early German, and modern German masters ; among the latter, 
A Storm at Sea, by Achenbach; John Huss at the Council at 
Constance, in his long cloak trimmed with mink, by Lessing; 
Hardanger by Evening Light, by Saal; and a Ruin on a Lake 
by Morning Light, by Funk, particularly attracted our attention. 



DOWN THE RHINE. I 33 

We saw the house in which Goethe was born in 1749, and a 
monument erected to his memory not far from it. In the largest 
Platz in the city is a monument to Gutenberg; and in another a 
statue of Schiller, in bronze. There are seven Lutheran churches 
in Frankfort, dating back to the thirteenth century ; but they are 
not open on week days, so we could see nothing but the exteriors. 
The house at which Luther preached on his return from the 
Council at Worms, is a quaint old building. Frankfort is built 
on both sides of the River Main, and has one hundred and 
eighteen thousand inhabitants. The Zeil, the principal street, 
is a broad, handsome thoroughfare, with elegant shops remind- 
ing one of Vienna ; but the jews' quarters present an ancient 
and uninviting appearance. 

We went to Mayence by train, and from there took a delight- 
ful trip of seven and a half hours down the Rhine River, as far 
as Cologne. This is considered the most interesting part of the 
river. The Rhine is quite crooked, taking very sharp turns, so 
that it often appeared as though we had reached its terminus. The 
most picturesque part of the trip is between the vine-clad hills of 
Bingen — " Fair Bingen on the Rhine — " so touchingly referred to 
in that beautiful poem about the dying soldier, and Coblentz, it 
being the narrowest part of the valley of the Rhine. Between 
these two places are no less than twenty-one castles, charmingly 
situated high up on its rocky banks, most of them ruins which 
have been destroyed by the French. Marksburg Castle, four 
hundred and eighty-five feet above the river, is the only old 
fortress which has remained uninjured ; and Rheinfels Castle is 
considered the most imposing and magnificent ruin on the river. 
The scenery is bewitching ! You do not lose sight of one castle 
before another comes in view. On a rock in the middle of the 
stream, opposite to the Castle of Ehrenfels, is the Mouse Tower, 
which derives its name from an old legend, and indeed nearly 
all these castles along the Rhine have some legend connected 
with them. For instance, the Sterrenberg and Liebenstein 
Castles, often called the Brothers, have the following legend: 
" Conrad and Heinrich, sons of the Knight Bayer von Boppard, 



134 DOWN THE RHINE. 

the Lord of Liebenstein, were both in love with their handsome 
adopted sister Hildegarde. Heinrich, the more generous of the 
two, left home, and joined the crusades, leaving his brother to 
win her love. That his son and the fair bride might still be 
near him, the old Knight built the Castle of Sterrenberg for 
their reception ; but his death occurring before its completion, 
the nuptials were postponed. Meanwhile, Conrad's heart grew 
cold towards Hildegarde. Hearing of the valiant deeds of his 
absent brother, his soul burned to share his honors, and weary of 
an inactive life, he joined the crusades. Hildegarde now passed 
her days in the lonely castle of Liebenstein, brooding over her 
sad lot ; not doubting the affection of Conrad, but weeping over 
the uncertainty of his return. Suddenly Conrad returned to 
Sterrenberg with a lovely Grecian bride, and the outraged Hil- 
degarde, stunned by the blow, shut herself up in the loneliest 
chamber of her dreary abode, and refused to see any one but her 
attendant. Late one evening a stranger knight demanded the 
hospitality of the castle. He proved to be the chivalrous Hein- 
rich, who, hearing of his brother's perfidy, resolved to avenge 
his foster-sister's wrongs. He accordingly challenged Conrad to 
single combat, but before the brothers' swords had crossed, Hilde- 
garde's figure interposed between them, and insisted on a recon- 
ciliation, to which they reluctantly consented. Hildegarde then 
retired to the convent of Bornhofen, at the base of the rock on 
which the castles stand. Conrad's Grecian bride soon proved 
faithless, and he, overcome with shame and remorse, threw him- 
self on his generous brother's breast, exclaiming that no consola- 
tion was now left him but his friendship. Thus their estrange- 
ment ended, and the brothers thenceforth lived together in 
harmony and retirement at Liebenstein, while Sterrenberg was 
forever deserted." 

Opposite to Coblentz is the strong and imposing fortress of 
Ehrenbreitstein, three hundred and seventy eight feet above the 
river, only accessible on one side. This fortress has never but 
twice yielded to an enemy. It is often called the Gibraltar of 
the Rhine. Among the passengers, we met Miss Camp, who 



COLOGNE. 135 

stopped off at Coblentz, it having been several weeks since she 
parted company with us. 

Cologne is one of the most important commercial cities in 
Germany, and has a population of more than one hundred and 
thirty-five thousand. Most of the old narrow streets have given 
place to seventy new ones, with modern, substantial, handsome 
buildings. This is the city where the veritable Eau de Cologne 
is manufactured; and the shop-windows are filled with bottles of 
this delicate perfumery. Of course, our object in stopping at 
Cologne was to see its celebrated cathedral ; and certainly it is 
grand, with its two massive yet ornamental towers rising majes- 
tically to the height of five hundred and eleven feet (but recently 
completed), even exceeding the tower of Strassburg cathedral. 
It has also a central tower, three hundred and fifty-seven feet 
high, and a great profusion of ornamental turrets, flying buttres- 
ses, arches, canopies, cornices, tracery, and statues — a huge mass 
of sculpture. There are several bells in the towers, the largest 
of which was cast from the metal of French guns, and weighs 
twenty-five tons. The foundation stone of this cathedral was 
laid in 1248, and it is not all finished yet. Actually, many of 
the oldest parts have so crumbled with decay that they have had 
to be repaired before the entire edifice is completed. The por- 
tals are handsomely decorated with sculpture ; the centre, or 
principal one, is ninety-three feet in height and thirty feet in 
width. The nave has double aisles on either side, and is three 
hundred and ninety feet long and one hundred and forty-five 
feet high. The stained-glass windows are very beautiful, es- 
pecially the rose window over the central door. The church is 
quite plain in the interior when compared with the exterior; but 
it has fifty-six handsome pillars, and the choir is flanked with 
seven chapels, containing quite a number of sarcophagi and 
monuments. 

Just back of the cathedral is the iron bridge which crosses the 
Rhine. It has two stone towers at each end, and over the en- 
trance on the Cologne side, is an equestrian statue of Frederick 
William IV., and at the other end an equestrian statue of William 



136 BRUSSELS. 

I. We went to the Church of St. Ursula to see the bones of eleven 
thousand virgins, a sight which a gentleman in Paris said we 
must not fail to see; and were somewhat surprised to find them 
in glass cases around the walls, perhaps twenty feet from the 
floor — the skulls all on one side by themselves. There are 
also several old paintings on the walls illustrating the legend 
that " St. Ursula, an English princess, when on her return from a 
pilgrimage to Rome, was barbarously murdered at Cologne with 
her eleven thousand virgin attendants." There is also a monu- 
ment to this saint in the church. 

After a ride of eight hours, we arrived at Brussels late in the 
evening, and were soon snugly quartered at the Vienne Hotel. 
The broad streets, with their gay shops brilliantly lighted, gave 
us at once a favorable impression of the capital of Belgium, which 
is about the same size as Munich. It is a beautiful city, a Paris 
in miniature ; the residence of the king and queen. It is divided 
into the upper and lower city. The former has fine, broad 
streets, boulevards, palatial dwellings, handsome squares, public 
gardens, and is the abode of the wealthier classes; the latter is 
more ancient and crowded and where the laboring classes dwell. 
French is spoken by the upper, and Flemish by the lower classes. 
From the fine display of elegant lace in the shop-windows, we 
soon began to realize that we were in the lace country. Yes, it 
may well be called the lace country, for this little kingdom of 
Belgium has one hundred and thirty thousand women employed 
in the manufacture of it. There are many establishments where 
it is made in the city, but the most of the girls engaged in this 
work are out in the country towns, as it is too expensive to 
board them in Brussels. And these poor creatures work for the 
meagre pittance of one franc (twenty cents) a day. We were 
told by the proprietor of a shop, where for some little time we 
watched these girls (some of them almost too old to go by that 
name) making beautiful point lace with their deft fingers, that 
this extremely delicate work is so trying to the eyes that in eight 
or nine years those who follow it go entirely blind — and all for 
twenty cents a day ! It is almost martyrdom for a lady to enter 



BRUSSELS. 137 

one of these shops filled with this tempting luxury of apparel, 
unless she has a pocket full of money. One piece of exquisite 
point lace, about a quarter of a yard wide, had been made to 
order to trim a wedding dress, and it only cost sixty dollars a 
yard i 

The Wiertz Picture Gallery consists of two small rooms of de- 
signs and sketches, and a large room filled with paintings. The 
artist Wiertz could never be induced to sell any of his produc- 
tions. But when he died in 1S65 the government purchased 
this collection, and it can now be visited by the public. • The 
artist was very eccentric, as his pictures show, but strictly origi- 
nal and very talented. In the principal saloon are seven very 
large pictures, some of them representing giant's arms and limbs, 
etc., very coarse and uninteresting to me ; but the life-size paint- 
ings, and those of less dimensions, possess a certain charm which 
rivets your attention. One is entitled Napoleon in Hell. There 
he stands enveloped in flames, with a look of sullen firmness 
upon his face ; while women who have become widows through 
the cruel wars waged for his selfish glory, are thrusting into his 
face mutilated arms and limbs severed in battle ; one holds up 
an apron filled with arms, hands, feet, head, etc.; on the other 
side of Napoleon is a widow, supporting in her arms the dead 
body of her husband, and pointing to Napoleon as the cause of 
her great grief; while the innocent baby caresses the father, and 
two small boys stand behind with their fists clenched at Napo- 
leon, as if they were ready to avenge their mother's wrongs. It 
is a most thrilling picture ! Another painting, called Curiosity, is 
of a woman peeping through a half-open door ; and so natural is 
it that when you first catch sight of it you instinctively start, as 
you think a real person is watching your movements. There are 
three other pictures of the same style, viz., two ladies leaning 
out of a window (I could not believe that this was a painting until 
I went close up to it) ; a dog in his kennel, as natural as life ; and 
a Concierge sitting by an open window. Two corners of the 
room are partitioned off, and seeing others go up to these 
screens, and look through small holes about as large as an old- 



138 BRUSSELS. 

fashioned copper penny, we followed suit, whereupon the most 
horrible sight presented itself. The picture, for I suppose it was 
a picture, was placed at some distance from the eye, and so 
finely executed that it looked like life. It is called Hunger, 
Madness, and Crime. By a fireplace sits a woman on a stool, 
with her murdered baby upon her lap, partly covered up in a 
cloth ; her face is that of a maniac ; tears are in her eyes, yet a 
fiendish smile plays around her mouth. She has built a fire in 
the fireplace with the dear little stockings and shoes and gar- 
ments of her child, and above it hangs the iron pot, with one 
limb and foot of the baby in it. Extreme poverty and hunger 
produced madness, and the result was this horrible crime. I 
became so intensely interested in it that I forgot where I was, 
and imagined that I had accidentally discovered a woman doing 
this very thing. She has taken every precaution not to be dis- 
covered, for the windows are shaded, and even the key-hole 
covered. When I turned away my gaze with sickening horror, 
and remembered that I was in a picture gallery, I laughed at my 
credulity ; but I could have paid no better compliment to the 
artist. 

Looking through another of these small openings, we saw the 
picture called " Resuscitation of a Person Buried Alive." This 
is a person in a coffin, holding up the lid with one arm, and look- 
ing out upon the surrounding skeletons. One of these openings, 
large enough to put your whole face in, made every body laugh. 
A bust was painted with the head fantastically draped, and all 
perfect except that the face was missing. When you pressed 
your face against the opening, by some ingenious reflection of a 
mirror, your own face completed the picture, making it a very 
handsome or homely painting, according to the physiognomy of 
of the spectator. I considered it the plainest portrait painting 
I had seen in all my travels. We went away much pleased with 
this little gem of a gallery, wondering at the strange conceptions 
and highly gifted talent of the artist. 

In the Park, which is the fashionable resort of Brussels, hand- 
somely adorned with statuary and fountains, we sat on penny 



BRUSSELS. I39 

chairs and listened to a concert given by the orchestra of the 
Royal Theatre, one of the most excellent bands anywhere to be 
found in the world. The music was simply grand ! 

The cathedral, which is a Gothic structure, is very handsome. 
It was begun nearly seven hundred years ago, and the two towers 
are not more than half completed yet. The splendid stained- 
glass windows date from the thirteenth century to the present. 
There are statues of the twelve apostles on the pillars in the 
nave. The pulpit is very peculiar, yet very beautiful. It is a 
representation in carved wood of Adam and Eve being driven 
out of Paradise by an angel. Among the the foliage is a pea- 
cock, dove, squirrel, monkey, bear, fox, an eagle, and an owl. 
On top of the sounding-board is the figure of the Virgin crush- 
ing the head of the serpent with the cross. The king has a beau- 
tiful throne, or seat, in the choir, with garnet-velvet curtains, 
trimmed with gold fringe, and a garnet and gold canopy. The 
queen also has a seat in one of the aisles near the entrance ; but 
she being the "weaker vessel," painted carved wood is con- 
sidered sufficiently elegant for her. 

Directing our steps to the Place de 1' Hotel de Ville, or mar- 
ket place, we saw an unusually fine display of blooming plants 
and cut flowers for sale. This is considerered one of the finest 
mediaeval squares in existence. In the year 1568 twenty-five 
nobles of Netherlands were beheaded here by order of the Duke 
of Alva. The Hotel de Ville and several old guild houses sur- 
round this square, all elegant, and especially the Hotel de Ville, 
which has a magnificent facade, profusely decorated with sculp- 
ture. It has a very handsome open tower, three hundred and 
seventy feet high, which is surmounted with a gilded metal 
figure, representing the Archangel Michael, sixteen feet in height. 

We went up into the Salle des Marriages, and saw a couple 
joined together in the holy ties of matrimony ; another pair who 
had but just been yoked together; and still another couple, who 
with palpitating hearts were awaiting their turn ; so we came to 
the conclusion that they had quite a flourishing business there. 

Congress Column, erected to commemorate the Congress of 



14° BRUSSELS. 

June 4, 1 83 1, when the present constitution of Belgium was 
established, is one hundred and forty-seven feet high, and is 
surmounted by a statue of the king in bronze. There is a female 
figure also in bronze at each corner of the base, and nine figures 
in relief on the lower part of the column, representing the dif- 
ferent provinces in Belgium; also two immense bronze lions are 
lying one on either side of the entrance to the tower. 

We went to the Musee de Peinture. This picture gallery is 
now considered the finest collection in Belgium. Those which 
pleased me most were, Abdication of Emperor Charles V., by 
Louis Gallait; Adoration of the Magi, by Rubens; The Mirac- 
ulous Draft of Fishes, one of De Crayer's best works ; The Com- 
promise, or Petition of the Netherlandish Nobles in 1565 ; a pic- 
ture by Verboeckhoven, of a shepherd carrying a lamb in his 
arms and driving home his flock of sheep, while the heavens 
are black with the gathering storm ; and Judas After the Con- 
demnation of Jesus, by A. Thomas. The latter is thus portrayed : 
Two men who have been constructing the cross, which is on the 
ground with the tools scattered around it, have grown weary, and 
one is lying down to rest by a rude fire, while the other, in a sit- 
ting posture with head bent forward resting on his hand, is 
sleeping. Judas approaches them, with cautious, stealthy tread, 
with his bag of gold in his hand, when his restless eye suddenly 
catches sight of the cross. The red glare of the open fire lights 
up the faces of the sleepers, while the pale moonbeams reveal the 
look of condemnation and fear on the face of Judas. It is a 
most striking picture! One of Ruben's most repulsive pictures 
is the Martyrdom of Saint Livinus, whose tongue the executioner 
has torn out and offers to a hungry dog. 

On the ground floor is a natural history collection, stuffed 
animals of all kinds and descriptions from the elephant, giraffe, 
buffalo, lion, yak, hippopotamus, bears, tigers, elks, etc., down 
to the tiny canary bird and mouse, the birds in a gallery above 
the animals. The work is done so adroitly that they look ex- 
actly like living animals. Another apartment was filled with 
skeletons of a great variety of animals. 



ANTWERP. 141 

On our way to church on Sabbath, we saw the shops open just 
as on any other day, and people at work just the same. 

In going to Antwerp, we passed through the village of Vil- 
vorde, where William Tyndale, the English reformer and trans- 
lator of the Bible, was chained to a stake, strangled, and finally 
burnt to death in 1536. 

Antwerp is the principal seaport of Belgium, with about the 
same population as Brussels, and carries on an extensive trade 
with Great Britain and Germany. It is noted for its splendid 
docks, with their walls of solid masonry five feet thick. My 
husband explored the dock yards, and also an extensive fish 
market, which was a novel sight to him ; but as I did not go I 
will not attempt to tell you what I saw there. The cathedral 
was founded in 1352. It is to have two towers something like 
those of the Cologne cathedral, but only one is finished. It 
has a chime of ninety-nine bells. There are several small shops 
built up against the side of the church which detract very much 
from its exterior beauty. The interior is quite plain, the pillars 
by which it is supported are without ornamentation ; but the 
stained-glass windows of the sixteenth century are splendid. The 
pulpit of carved wood is similar to the one at Brussels, and the 
carved wood stalls in the choir are wonderfully beautiful. The 
chief attractions, however, are the three grand pictures by Ru- 
bens, which adorn the walls and are covered with heavy, green 
rep curtains, only unveiled at certain hours of the day. The 
Descent from the Cross, Rubens' masterpiece, is, I believe, the 
grandest picture I ever looked upon. Five men, among whom 
is Joseph of Arimathea, are letting down the limp body of the 
Saviour from the cross, upon a white linen sheet which is grasped 
by the teeth of one of the men at the top to keep it in its place. 
This white drapery gives a very fine effect to the picture. Mary 
Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jesus, and the other Mary, are 
at the foot of the cross waiting to receive him. Each figure and 
face is wonderfully expressive ; but one must see it to form any 
idea of its grandeur. The Elevation of the Cross is magnifi- 
cent, and the Assumption is also a famous picture, but not so 



142 ANTWFRP. 

attractive as Titian's Assumption. One painting in the Cathe- 
dral by L. Francken the elder, is Christ Among the Doctors, in 
which Luther, Calvin and Erasmus represent three of the doctors 
of divinity. 

Not far from the Cathedral is a monument to Rubens. A fig- 
ure of this master thirteen feet high stands on a pedestal twenty 
feet high. At his feet are scrolls and books with brush and 
palette, showing that he was a statesman as well as an artist. We 
also visited the house which belonged to him, containing some 
of his early paintings. 

We had heard so much about the Zoological Garden at Ant- 
werp, that we went to see it at our earliest opportunity. The 
grounds are not so extensive as at Frankfort, but they are much 
more beautiful, being laid out in great taste, ornamented with 
lovely flower-beds, trees, etc. Some of the animals' cages are 
bordered with beds of delicate, blooming roses. There are a 
great many handsome stone buildings, some of them quite orna- 
mental, for the animals. The lion-house has a very wide prome- 
nade between the cages, with a marble floor and stands of 
blooming plants down the centre; and just think of it! even 
large, elegant mirrors grace the walls. I could not satisfy myself 
as to whether these looking-glasses were placed here to make the 
promenade more attractive for the visitors, or to satisfy the van- 
ity of the lions — perhaps for both. The goats have very fine arti- 
ficial rocky heights upon which to clamber; the bears have rocky 
caves or dens; and the surroundings of all the animals seem to 
be in accordance with their habits and mode of life. One build- 
ing contains a natural history collection — stuffed birds mostly — 
but there were two monstrosities which I will mention ; a pig 
with two heads, and a young fawn with two bodies uniting into 
one, and having but one head. Where the two bodies united 
on the back, two legs stood straight up. It must have had the 
advantage over most animals, for it could walk either side up. 

The Bourse, or Exchange, corresponding to our Board of 
Trade, is a very fine structure, having an entrance on each of 
the four sides. It is one hundred and sixty-eight feet long, and 



AMSTERDAM. 1 43 

one hundred and thirty-two feet wide. The glass roof is sup- 
ported by a handsome iron frame-work wrought in the form of 
clusters and leaves of grapes and other fruits. It is surrounded 
by a double arcade, supported by sixty-eight columns, opening 
towards the centre in Moorish-Gothic trefoil arches, with a gal- 
lery above. A great variety of armorial bearings ornament the 
walls. We afterwards saw it filled with men, buying and selling 
and making bargains. 

The walls of the entrance hall of the Picture Gallery are cov- 
ered with paintings representing the assembly of the Antwerp 
masters — one hundred and thirty-six in all. Antwerpia, seated 
in a chair, is distributing wreaths to them. Among the number 
are Rubens, Van Dyke, Teniers, Massys, De Grayer and Snyder. 
Ascending the stairs we passed through five large rooms contain- 
ing six hundred and fifty pictures, mostly by Flemish masters, 
sixteen of which are by Rubens. In the first room is Rubens' 
old chair in a glass case. The seat and back are of leather. 
The gems of the gallery are the Annunciation by Roger Van der 
Wyden ; two heads, one of Christ and the other of Mary, by 
Quinten Massys; Christ Crucified Between the two Thieves, by 
Rubens, and also Christ on the Cross by the same master ; and 
then, at last, after having seen so many matchless pictures by 
this master, we looked upon one most striking and beautiful re- 
presenting himself — the Death of Rubens, by Van Bree. 

During our long journey of eight hours from Antwerp to Am- 
sterdam, the train creeping along at a snail's pace, and stopping, 
seemingly to rest, altogether too frequently, we had a rare op- 
portunity of viewing the landscape, in which innumerable wind- 
mills figured ; these giants constituting one of the most pictur- 
esque features of Dutch scenery. They are massive stone towers, 
with immense flyers. Some of them are used in saw mills, others 
in grinding corn, manufacturing paper, etc. ; but their principal 
use is to pump up the water from the low ground to the canals, 
which conduct it to the sea. Each sail, or flyer, is about sixty 
feet long. Holland is said to be the lowest country in the world, 
the most of it lying several feet below the sea level. It is pro- 



144 AMSTERDAM. 

tected from being flooded by the sea by embankments called 
dykes. The surface of the embankments is covered with branches 
of willows, intertwined and filled in with clay so as to make it 
compact, or strengthened with walls of masonry. Canals inter- 
sect the country everywhere. We saw orchards, gardens, pas- 
ture fields and houses surrounded by canals, which take the place 
of fences. Every once in a while you see little foot-bridges 
across these canals, which are constructed on the trap-door sys- 
tem ; so that if a farmer wishes to go to his pasture field he 
throws down the little bridge, passes over, and then throws it in 
a perpendicular position again, so that cattle and sheep cannot 
cross. There are seventy-three canals in the city of Amsterdam, 
three of which are very large, dividing the city into ninety 
islands, which are connected by three hundred bridges. The 
buildings are mostly of red brick. They are very high and nar- 
row, and many of them are so far out of the perpendicular that 
they look as though they were tipsy ; they are all built on piles, 
and when the piles at one end of a house sink a little deeper into 
the mud, it somewhat resembles the Leaning Tower of Pisa. 
Baedeker tells us that in 1822 the great Corn Magazine literally 
sank into the mud, the piles having been inadequate to support 
the weight of thirty-five hundred tons of grain which were there- 
in stored at the time. The drinking water is brought to Amster- 
dam by means of pipes, a distance of thirteen and a half miles. 

The Dutch are proverbial for their cleanliness. Every bit of 
brass or metal in the house must shine so you can see your 
face in it. Women are everywhere, and at all times, scrubbing 
and cleaning; they get down on their knees and wash the pave- 
ments of the streets, the courts of the houses, floors, and halls in 
hotels, and the waiting-rooms in depots, until a stranger almost 
becomes impatient at having to walk through so much slop. 

The Rijks Museum contains five hundred and thirty-eight 
pictures, almost all belonging to the Dutch schools of the seven- 
teenth and eighteenth centuries. Rembrandt, the greatest of all 
the Dutch masters, died in 1669 almost penniless; but he left 
the world a rich legacy in valuable pictures. His masterpiece, 



AMSTERDAM. 1 45 

called the Night Watch, represents a captain with his company 
of arquebusiers emerging from their Guild-hall. The peculiar 
lights and shadows, the attitude and appearance of the men, and 
the harmony of the whole, is most striking and beautiful. 
Another by the same master entitled the Stamp Masters, repre- 
sents four of the directors of the guild of the cloth-makers seated 
at a table, with faces so natural that you almost expect them to 
speak. Then there are eight admirable pictures by Hondecoeter. 
His forte is painting the feathered tribe, chickens, ducks, birds, 
etc. He does it to perfection ; the picture called the Floating 
Feather, is considered the most famous ; Paul Potter is the chief 
among animal painters, and Snyder is also excellent; Van Dyke 
is one of the most beautiful portrait painters; and Teniers has 
always some jolly social, or home scene. The latter are usually 
confined to the kitchen ; and almost invariably you discover 
somewhere in the apartment a brass kettle, which he undoubt- 
edly knew he could paint to perfection. From here we went to 
a little gem of a gallery called Van der Hoop, containing only 
about two hundred pictures, many of them beautiful landscapes, 
sea pieces, and snow scenes, so dainty and pretty and natural 
that one could almost imagine that it was nature herself adorned 
in her robe of green, or wrapped in her mantle of white. A 
very small picture only six inches square, of a hermit, by Gerard 
Dow, is exquisitely done. A Sick Girl and a Physician, by Jan 
Steen, is also good. 

We next went to the King's Palace, the finest edifice in 
Amsterdam. It was built for a town hall, but was presented to 
Louis Napoleon for a King's Palace in 1808. The interior is 
very beautiful. The walls of the apartments are ornamented 
with sculptures in white marble. Over the door to the room 
where cases of bankruptcy were settled, when it was a town hall, 
is a large piece of sculpture representing " The Fall of Icarus;" 
and the moulding above the door, in marble relief, is made up 
ot rats and mice gnawing boxes and papers. The rooms are all 
furnished extravagantly, but the reception room is the most 
elaborate of all. It is one hundred and seventeen feet long, 
10 



146 THE HAGUE. 

fifty-seven feet wide, and one hundred feet high, and unsupported 
by pillars. The walls are entirely of white marble adorned with 
bass-reliefs. The King of Holland, who resides at the Hague, 
only spends one week every year at this palace. It is built on 
thirteen thousand six hundred and fifty-nine piles. We as- 
cended to the top of its tower, where we had a good view of this 
queer old city, intersected with canals bordered with trees ; its 
multitude of bridges, innumerable housetops, church spires, 
rustic looking windmills, the docks with their forests of masts, 
the Zuyderzee, and away in the distance, the concierge pointed 
out to us the large church at Haarlem. 

We stopped while in Amsterdam at the Bible Hotel — an open 
Bible carved out of marble, over the entrance door, serves as a 
sign. The owner has the first Dutch Bible printed in 1542, and 
this fact gave the name to the hotel. Amsterdam has a popula- 
tion of about three hundred and seventeen thousand. 

We had but one more city on the Continent which we in- 
tended to visit, and that was the Hague, and in two hours after 
entering the cars we were there. It is a very pretty place, hav- 
ing broad, handsome streets, large squares, and spacious houses. 
It is quite an aristocratic city, of one hundred and two thousand 
inhabitants. The king and many nobles reside here. In the 
centre of the city is a sheet of water, with a small island called 
the Vijver. It is surrounded by shady trees, and is inhabited by 
ducks and swans, making it quite a fashionable resort for the 
citizens. It, like other Dutch towns, has many canals. We 
came here chiefly to see two celebrated pictures, viz., Paul Pot- 
ter's Bull and Rembrandt's School of Anatomy. These we found 
upon visiting the picture gallery, and felt that they repaid us for 
our trouble and expense to see them. Paul Potter's "Bull" is 
so natural from the tips of his horns to the point of his tail that 
you are almost persuaded that one of these animals has stepped 
behind an immense picture frame. Less prominent in the picture 
are a cow, ram, sheep, lamb, and shepherd in the background. 
Rembrandt's School of Anatomy represents a scholarly anatomist, 
dressed in a black cloak, with a lace collar and a broad-brimmed 



NORTH SEA. 



147 



felt hat, explaining the anatomy of the arm of a corpse lying on 
a table before him. The skin has been removed from the arm, 
and with a pair of scissors he is cutting a sinew. His left hand 
half raised, and the expression of his face tell us that he has 
paused to make some explanation. Seven men, members of the 
Guild at Amsterdam, are gathered about the corpse, watching 
the operation attentively, each with a different expression on his 
face. If you take a seat, as we did, and study this picture care- 
fully, you will become so absorbed in it that you will imagine 
you are in the very presence of this company. The characters 
look like true living men, and the corpse like a true dead man. 
Several other pictures by Hondecoeter, Girard Dow, Jan Steen, 
Albert Dlirer, Rubens, Van Dyke, and Holbein, are also very 
fine. From here we went to a small Museum, where chief amon fl- 
its treasures was a top to a large circular table, which surpassed 
anything of the kind that we saw at Rome. It was of ebonv 
inlaid with pearl in the form of a wreath of flowers. There are 
no two buds, leaves, or blossoms, alike. Its arrangement is 
most graceful in form, and the tints of pearl, yellow, pink, blue, 
drab, and green, are distributed with the greatest taste. 

In the evening we left the Hague for Flushing, where we im- 
mediately took a steamer to cross the North Sea. We had a 
nice state-room and slept well until morning, but were delayed 
from landing about two hours, on account of fog. It was so 
dense that it was necessary to weigh anchor and wait until it had 
lifted. The different vessels in and near the harbor, blew the 
fog horns, whistled and rang bells as signals of their where- 
abouts, to avoid collision. We landed at Queensborough at 
about eight o'clock in the morning, boarded a train for London, 
and in two hours were in Mr. Burr's private boarding house once 
more, where we found precious letters awaiting us from my 
mother and one of my many sisters, and also from one of our 
Newton Deacons, and the Miss Grieblings. 



CHAPTER VII. 

I can not tell you what a thrill of pleasure it gave us to once 
more set foot in "Old England," a Christian nation, whose 
Sabbaths are kept holy, after being in so many places on the 
Continent where the Lord's Day is not used as a day of rest and 
worship. England ! " that pretty island which," says Franklin, 
"compared to America, is but a stepping-stone in a brook, 
scarcely enough of it above water to keep one's shoes dry." 
Yet this little island has for two centuries been the mistress of 
the seas, with all the consequences of that opportunity. It is 
the centre of the wealth of the world, and the heart of this 
centre is London. If you would feel the throbbings of the pulse 
of the world, press your finger on the Bank of England. One 
writer says, "There is not an occurrence, not a conquest or a 
defeat, a revolution, a panic, a famine, an abundance, not a 
change in value of money or material, no depression or stoppage 
in trade, no recovery, no political and scarcely any religious 
movement, that does not report itself instantly at this sensitive 
spot. Other capitals feel a local influence ; this feels all the 
local influences. Put your ear at the Bank, or Stock Exchange 
near by, and you hear the roar of the world." London, the 
largest city in the world, with its population of three and a half 
millions, covers an area of seventy-eight thousand acres, and is 
situated on both sides of the river Thames, about fifty miles 
from its mouth. Its massive buildings of brick or stone, have 
magnificent edifices among them, but the majority are plain 
substantial looking structures blackened by smoke. Its broad 
handsome thoroughfares, gorged by carriages, cabs, hansoms, 
carts, street-cars, omnibuses and hundreds of pedestrians ; 
together with its narrow, crooked, dim streets, form such a 
labyrinth, that if a stranger does not lose his way many times, 

(148) 



LONDON. 149 

he may consider himself most fortunate. The streets and roads 
patrolled by the Metropolitan police extend over six thousand, 
six hundred miles. The main thoroughfares are traversed by 
fifteen hundred omnibuses and tram-cars (street-cars), and eight 
thousand five hundred cabs, (besides private carriages and carts) 
employing forty thousand horses. Then besides all this, the 
river Thames is continually traversed by steamboats, having 
more than twenty landing places. Why just think of it ; the 
London Bridge, which is nine hundred and twenty-eight feet 
long, and fifty-four feet wide, built of granite, is crossed daily 
by no less than twenty thousand vehicles, and one hundred and 
seven thousand foot passengers ! 

The shops of London contain everything that can be bought 
anywhere in the wide world. This is the great centre of trade. 
It is not necessary to go to Rome or Florence to buy mosaics, 
to Switzerland for wood carving, or to China or Japan for their 
wares, for they are here. 

The London fogs, of which everybody has heard, occur in the 
fall and winter, especially in November, and are thought to be 
caused by the water of the Thames being warmer than the air, 
and giving forth vapor until the atmosphere is densely charged ; 
then this overhanging vapor absorbs the smoke from thousands 
of chimneys, forming a cloud of such thick blackness as to turn 
noonday into .midnight. This can be easily comprehended when 
we consider that London consumes eight million tons of coal 
annually. Perhaps it would be of interest here to mention the 
fact that in 1407 the plague of London carried off forty thou- 
sand inhabitants, and in 1349 the pestilence destroyed sixty 
thousand. 

The day after our arrival being the Sabbath we went to the 
"City Temple" to hear Dr. Joseph Parker. He preached a 
very eloquent sermon, one of a series on the book of Acts. He 
is quite a handsome man, with dark hair and side-whiskers, and 
is an earnest, fluent speaker, but I did not like his manner at all 
— he seemed too self-conscious and conceited. Those who have 
heard him frequently, however, say that one soon gets accustomed 



150 LONDON. 

to his manner and becomes so absorbed in his flow of eloquence 
and depth of thought that this seeming pomposity is not noticed. 

In the evening we went to old Westminster Abbey to hear 
Canon Farrar. Although we were there a long time before the 
services begun, yet the iron gates were closed ; locked ; and a 
placard placed on the front of the church, "Abbey full." We 
inquired of the police and found that sitting and standing room 
was all occupied, but that the gates would be opened in the 
course of time, and if we chose to wait, we could take our 
chance of getting in. So we with a vast crowd of others stood 
outside the iron fence, for one solid half hour. After several 
who had become wearied with standing came out, we gained an 
entrance. Mr. Culler stood through the whole service and I sat 
on a projection of a marble monument, about six inches wide. 
I saw the Rev. gentleman, but Avas so far removed that I don't 
suppose I should know him from Adam if I should see him again. 
Could only catch a word occasionally, but distinctly heard the 
singing, which was grand I especially the hallelujah chorus at 
the close. We almost thought that this stirring music in the 
brilliantly-lighted old Abbey must awaken some of the dead, 
who sleep in such vast numbers beneath this roof, and whose 
monuments are crowded into every nook and corner. 

We spent an entire day in wandering through this immense 
building, looking at its beautiful monuments, and reading epi- 
taphs. It is an imposing Gothic structure, blackened with smoke 
and age, having two huge square towers of mixed Grecian and 
Gothic style, two hundred and twenty-five feet high. The build- 
ing, including the chapel of Henry VII., is five hundred and 
eleven feet long, the breadth at the transepts is two hundred and 
three feet, and the height of the roof from the mosaic pavement 
is one hundred and one feet. It is more than six hundred years 
old. The moment we entered we were struck with amazement 
at the profusion of elegant monuments, rich in statues, reliefs, 
and tracery, towering above us on either side. "It is the only 
national place of sepulture in the world — the only spot whose 
monuments epitomize a people's history." King and queens, 



LONDON. 151 

statesmen, poets, musicians, divines, lawyers, philosophers, and 
historians, lie buried here. This is considered the greatest 
honor which the nation can bestow upon the dead. All the 
coronations have taken place here, from the time of Edward the 
Confessor to Queen Victoria, and more than twenty of them lie 
buried here. Among the number are Edward the Confessor, 
Edward I., III. and VI., Henry V. and VII., Mary I. and II., 
James I., Charles II., William III., George II., Queen Anne,' 
Elizabeth, and Mary, Queen of Scots. 

Here and there, hanging against the walls are placards with 
bits of prose and poetry concerning Westminster Abbey. We 
will give you two, which we copied verbatim, that you may have 
an idea what they are like, viz. : " Where our kings are crowned 
there our ancestors lie interred, and they must walk over their 
grandsire's head to take his crown. There is an acre sown with 
royal seed, the copy of the greatest change, from rich to naked, 
from ceiled roof to arched coffins, from living like gods to die 
like men. There the warlike and the peaceful, the fortunate 
and the miserable, the beloved and the despised, will mingle 
their dust, and pay down their symbol of mortality, and tell all 
the world that when we die our ashes shall be equal to kings', 
and our accounts easier, our pains for our crimes shall be less.' 

Another reads thus: 

" Mortality, behold and fear ! 
What a change of flesh is here ; 
Think how many royal bones 
Sleep within these heaps of stones ! 
Here they lie — had realms and lands, 
Who now want strength to lift their hands, 
Where, from their pulpit, sealed with dust 
They preach, ' In greatness is no trust.' 
Here's an acre, sown, indeed, 
With the richest royal seed 
That the earth did e'er suck in, 
Since the first man died for sin. 
Here the bones of birth have cried 
Though gods they were, as men they died." 



152 LONDON. 

The beautiful tomb of Mary, Queen of Scots, who was be- 
headed in 1587, is surmounted by an alabaster effigy, the face of 
which is very handsome, and is now generally admitted to be a 
genuine likeness of the queen. The tomb of Queen Elizabeth, 
who died in 1603, bears the effigy of this "lion-hearted queen" 
and her sister Queen Mary or " Bloody Mary," who burned two 
hundred and eighty persons at the stake, in four years of her reign, 
is buried in the same grave. Here are two children of James I. 
one a baby in a cradle, upon which an American lady has written 
a beautiful poem. In a white marble sarcophagus are two skele- 
tons, accidentally found in a wooden box under the stairs which 
formerly led to what is called the Bloody Tower in the London 
Tower, and supposed to be the remains of Edward V. and his 
brother Richard, Duke of York, murdered by the order of their 
uncle, Richard III. The tomb of Henry VII. and Elizabeth 
his queen, is magnificent ! 

The Poets' Corner is in the south transept, and here we saw 
the names of John Gay, Robert Southey, Shakespeare, Milton, 
Gray, Spencer, Ben Johnson, Dryden, Addison, Chaucer, 
Campbell, Thompson, Oliver Goldsmith, Isaac Watts, Words- 
worth, Mason. Of course there are many monuments here to 
persons who are buried elsewhere. 

We pass on, and the names of learned men of all professions, 
whom we have reverenced from childhood, confront* us on every 
hand. Here are John and Charles Wesley, Sir Isaac Newton, 
John Herschel, James Watt, Charles Dickens, William Pitt, 
Warren Hastings, Bulwer Lytton, John Russell, Mrs. Scott Sid- 
dons, Lord Macaulay the historian, John Blow, doctor in music. 
Under the tablet is a canon in four parts, which I sang — my 
first experience in singing from a marble book. I will mention 
but one more, the monument of Handel, which represents the 
great musician standing with his left arm resting on a group of 
musical instruments, his attitude and countenance expressing 
great attention to the music of an angel, playing on a harp in 
the clouds above. Before it is the celebrated Messiah, open to 
that soul-stirring air, so universally admired, and so often sung 
at Easter services, " I know that my Redeemer liveth." 



LONDON. 153 

Close by the Abbey are the Houses of Parliament, or West- 
minster Palace, a magnificent Gothic edifice, built of hard mag- 
nesian limestone, and occupying eight acres of ground. It is in 
the form of a parallelogram, more than nine hundred feet long 
and three hundred feet wide. There are large square towers at 
each end : the one at the southwest corner, called the Victoria 
Tower, is three hundred and forty-six feet high and seventy-five 
feet square, and is entered by a gigantic archway appropriated 
to the sole use of the Sovereign ; at the northwest corner is the 
Clock Tower, three hundred and twenty feet high, having a 
dial on every side, each twenty-two feet in diameter. The 
clock strikes the hours and chimes the quarters on eight bells. 
Midway between these towers, above the octagonal hall, rises 
the Central Tower, three hundred feet high. Then there are 
numerous other subordinate towers, and hexagonal, open-worked 
pinnacles, bearing gilt vanes and handsomely carved decorations, 
which produce a very picturesque effect, especially from the river 
side. The roofs of the entire building are of iron-framing, and 
the covering plates are also iron. The windows are of stained- 
glass. It was begun in 1840, and is considered the most magni- 
ficent building that has been erected in England for centuries, 
having cost nearly ten million dollars. It contains no less than 
five hundred rooms, and there are four hundred and fifty statues 
in and about the building. The walls of the interior are beauti- 
fully frescoed. 

We first entered the Queen's robing-room, the walls adorned 
with fine fresco-paintings, below which is a handsome panelled 
dado, six feet high ; the upper compartments consisting of ex- 
quisite wood carvings, illustrating the life of King Arthur, from 
his birth to his death. The ceiling, doors, and fire-place, are 
all elaborate. At one end of the room is the Queen's seat, un- 
der the canopy of carved oak, enriched with the Rose, Thistle, 
and Shamrock, as the badges of England, Scotland, and Ireland. 
After the Queen has here arrayed herself in her royal robes, she 
passes through the Royal Gallery, and the Prince's Chamber, 
into the House of Lords. The Royal Gallery is one hundred 



154 LONDON. 

and ten feet long and forty-five feet in width and height. The 
ceiling is splendidly panelled and decorated. In the niches of 
the doorways and bay-window are statues of English kings and 
queens. There are two large paintings on the opposite walls, 
each forty-five feet long and twelve feet high, composed of life- 
sized figures. One is an admirable picture, representing the 
interview between Wellington and Blucher after the " Battle 
of Waterloo," the central figures of which are the Duke and 
Blucher, mounted upon their faithful steeds, fervently clasping 
each others hands. It has been settled between them that the 
Prussians should pursue the enemy, while the war-worn English 
rested on the battlefield. On either side of the Generals is 
grouped the staff of each. The great variety of horses, with 
their different attitudes, is wonderful ! Some of them are snuf- 
fing at the dead bodies which are stretched about them on the 
ground. The wounded are being cared for; some are just ex- 
piring, and the broken musical instruments, scattered weapons, 
and shattered shell, help to complete the confused mass. The 
other picture, called the " Death of Nelson," represents a naval 
battle, the central figure of which is the wounded Nelson, halt 
raised from the deck, supported in the arms of the captain, sur- 
rounded by an anxious group of soldiers. All the bustle and 
uproar of a battle at sea is portrayed in a vivid and striking 
manner. 

The Prince's Chamber, a sort of ante-room to the House of 
Lords, where the Queen is received by the chief of the nobility, 
has beautiful arches at either end. Beneath the one on the north 
wall is the statue of Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, with a statue 
representing Justice on one side and .Clemency on the other — 
all of white marble. The dado is divided into square spaces, 
filled with bass-reliefs in bronze, representing important events 
in the lives of the queens of England : such as the Escape of 
Mary, Queen of Scots, the Murder of Rizzio, Queen Elizabeth 
Knighting Drake, Raleigh spreading his cloak as a carpet for 
Queen Elizabeth. The ceiling is also rich in ornamentation. 

The House of Lords is ninety feet in length, forty-five in 



LONDON. 155 

breadth, and of the same height. It is lighted with twelve lofty 
stained-glass windows, upon which are represented all the kings 
and queens from the time of William the Conqueror. Its pave- 
ment is of handsome mosaic work, and its walls are beautifully 
frescoed. The ceiling is fiat, and is divided into eighteen large 
compartments by massive tie-beams, apparently of solid gold ; 
these are each again divided by smaller beams into four, and in 
each centre are different colored devices and symbols, pro- 
ducing a rich and gorgeous effect. This is the grandest room 
in the building, and whichever way you turn something rare and 
splendid meets your gaze. At one end is the throne, elevated 
on steps, covered with scarlet velvet carpet, bordered with gold- 
colored fringe. The canopy to the throne is divided into three 
compartments; beneath the central one is Her Majesty's state- 
chair, which she occupies when she opens, prorogues or dissolves 
parliament. It is one mass of exquisite carving, and the straight 
back is bordered with a row of large brilliant, egg-shaped pieces 
of rock crystal. On either side are state-chairs, one for the 
Prince of Wales and the other formerly occupied by the late 
Prince Consort, both alike and somewhat plainer than the 
Queen's. At the opposite end of the room is the reporter's gal- 
lery, and immediately above it the stranger's gallery, beautifully 
panelled and decorated. The Lord Chancellor sits in the cen- 
tre of the room, on a scarlet seat without back or arms, called 
the " woolsack." The seats for the Peers, or Lords, are on either 
side, rising in tiers one above another, comfortably upholstered. 
The House of Commons is not quite as large, and is more 
plainly decorated. We also passed through the Peers' Lobby, 
Peers' Robing Room, the Central Hall, the House of Commons, 
Lobby, St. Stephen's Hall, St. Stephen's Crypt, in which there 
is a magnificent chapel, and lastly into the Court of Appeals, 
where we saw the- old fellows in curled and powdered wigs and 
black robes. The top part of the wig is frizzed ; then there are 
three rows of curls, seven in a row ; below this, one row of four 
curls; and below, one row of two curls; and then two little hair 
tassels. 



156 LONDON. 

The British Museum is an immense affair, covering seven acres 
of ground, containing printed books and manuscripts; ancient 
and mediaeval sculptures and antiquities; gold ornaments and 
gems; coins and medals, dating from 700 B. C. ; zoological 
specimens ; fossils, minerals, and botanical specimens. The 
library is perfectly wonderful, comprising one million, three 
hundred thousand volumes, and fifty thousand manuscripts. 
Here we found Lady Jane Grey's manual of prayers, used by her 
on the scaffold ; the Mazarine Bible — the oldest complete printed 
edition known, printed by Gutenberg and Faust in 1455; the 
original manuscript of Walter Scott's Kenihvorth, and also that 
of Macaulay's History of England ; Luther's ninety-five theses ; 
Mary Queen of Scots' will, in her own hand-writing; the auto- 
graphs of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Napoleon 
Bonaparte, Martin Luther, Calvin, John Knox, Charles Dickens, 
and scores of other distinguished men, badly written of course. 
The Egyptian galleries are crowded with old and interesting 
relics, including a large collection of mummies and antiquities 
of all sorts; colossal heads, obelisks, sphynxes, sarcophagi, 
statues, lions, and winged bulls. There is also a fine collection 
from Assyria and Babylonia. One room contains gold orna- 
ments and gems from Egypt, Etruria, Greece, Rome, and also 
modern jewelry. One gold snuffbox is set with twenty-eight 
diamonds. Think of that vile stuff being deposited in such a 
beautiful jeweled casket ! Then there are large exhibitions of 
pottery, majolica, china, glass, etc., rooms of vases, bronzes, 
beautiful specimens of Elgin and Hellenic marbles. Here is the 
finest natural history collection we have ever seen anywhere 
without any exception, consisting of a magnificent variety of 
stuffed birds, with nests and eggs ; innumerable humming-birds, 
birds of paradise, with their handsome plumage; animals of all 
kinds from every clime. Three large rooms 06 sea-fish, from the 
whale and shark to the small round fish, covered with prickly 
horns; a room of turtles, one gigantic tortoise, which lived to 
the age of eighty years, weighed eight hundred and seventy 
pounds ; heads of two orang-outangs, preserved in oil ; a frilled 



LONDON. 157 

lizard, having a long tail, with a spike at the end; all sorts of 
reptiles, including a gigantic anaconda throttling a wild pig, 
with his tail wound around the branches of an artificial tree 
(the tail of the snake, not that of the pig) ; skeletons of all sizes 
and varieties. Then there are several rooms filled with the finest 
assortment of shells in the world (so declared in the catalogue) 
of innumerable varieties, shapes and colors, a most gorgeous dis- 
play ! Then there are the most beautiful specimens of coral and 
sponges; one large piece of brain-stone coral must have been 
more than six feet in circumference. The coins and medals form 
an unrivaled series of the mintages of the world. I was never 
particularly fascinated with a lot of valuable coins locked in a 
glass case. "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." 
There is a very fine lunch-room on the upper floor to accom- 
modate visitors, who are in the Museum all day ; which we found 
very enjoyable and convenient. 

One bright morning after riding for some distance in a 'bus we 
alighted at Hyde Park ; this with Kensington Gardens, St- 
James Park and Green Park, form a continuous tract of open 
ground, in all eight hundred and two acres. The last two, how- 
ever, are small. This broad, open, country-like space is often 
called one of the lungs of London. It is certainly a good place 
to breathe plenty of fresh air. We walked diagonally through 
Hyde Park (which is intersected by broad foot-paths and car- 
riage drives, with here and there clumps of noble trees) and 
crossed the pretty bridge over the Serpentine river into Kensing- 
ton Gardens. This river, dotted with small pleasure boats, adds 
much to the beauty of the scenery. The carriage drive along 
its north bank is called the "Lady's Mile." We saw ladies 
riding horseback, with costumes so similar to that of the gentle- 
men, (tall silk hats and tight-fitting jackets) that we had to take 
a second look to distinguish them ; also ladies rowing with as 
much ease, apparently, as gentlemen. We were there too early 
in the day to see the crowds of fashionable people who frequent 
these parks. Some of the principal walks are beautifully bor- 
dered with flower-beds. At the southeast corner of Kensington 



150 LONDON. 

Gardens we came to the National Monument to the late Prince 
Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria. This excels everything 
in the form of a monument that we saw anywhere — the most 
sumptuous ! It is approached by flights of gray granite steps, 
forty-five in number. At the four lower corners of this pyramid 
of steps, which is about one hundred and thirty feet square, are 
four colossal groups of Italian marble statuary representing 
Europe, Asia, Africa and America. Europe is represented by a 
female figure seated on a bull, with a crown upon her brow and 
a scepter in her hands, surrounded by four other female figures — 
Italy, seated on a broken column, with painter's palette and a 
musical instrument, tells of her fine arts — England, with her 
trident and shield, seated upon a rock, with the waves dashing 
against it, proclaims that she is mistress of the sea, — Germany, 
with open book upon her lap, reveals the sciences ; and France, 
with sword and leaf of laurels, speaks of military victory. In the 
group called Asia, a female figure is seated on an elephant clum- 
sily kneeling ; beside the elephant stands a Persian with high 
cap, long robe and a shawl draped about his waist, with writing 
utensils, a Chinaman with specimens of pottery, one of India's 
dark race with barbarous weapons of war, and an Arab in a sit- 
ting posture. The African group consists of a female figure 
seated on a camel; an Egyptian, standing by a sphynx ; a Moor- 
ish merchant with turban, pipe and bale of goods ; and an Ethi- 
opian instructed by a European. America is represented by a 
female figure riding a buffalo across the wild prairie. Fearlessly 
she rides, with spear in hand and shield to protect, attended by 
a female figure on either side; one representing the United 
States bears the stars and stripes and with a starry-tipped rod 
points the way ; the other, with furs and snow-shoes, represents 
cold Canada. In the rear is a figure called Mexico, seated on 
the skin of a wild beast with his war-club in his hand, around 
which is coiled a rattlesnake ; and at his right is a South Ameri- 
can hunter with gun and lariat. The base of the monument, 
above the steps, is surrounded by two hundred life-sized figures, 
in bass-relief, of the greatest statesmen, philosophers, divines, 



LONDON. 



159 

poets, painters, and musicians the world has ever produced. 
Resting upon this base are four clustered columns of red and gray 
granite, which support a handsome Gothic canopy of gilt and 
elegantly wrought mosaic designs. At the corners of the plat- 
form on which these columns stand are groups of marble statuary, 
representing Agriculture, Manufactures, Commerce and Engi- 
neering. Beneath the canopy is the bronze gilt statue of His 
Royal Highness, in a sitting posture, fifteen feet high. Half 
way up the columns and also where they terminate at the top, are 
eight bronze statues in all, eight feet high, representing Astron- 
omy, Philosophy, Medicine, Chemistry, Rhetoric, Geometry, 
Physiology and Geology. Rising above the canopy is an exqui- 
site spire one hundred and seventy-five feet high, surmounted by 
a gold cross. This spire is also ornamented with eight bronze 
statues, eight feet high, representing Faith, Hope, Charity, Hu- 
mility, Fortitude, Temperance, Justice and Prudence. And 
away up at the top, gathered around the foot of the cross, are 
eight figures of angels. The spire and canopy are both richly 
ornamented with precious stones of different varieties, which 
glitter in the sunlight. This splendid monument, which cost 
nearly six hundred thousand dollars, is marvelous in design and 
workmanship, elaborate, even to the smallest details, and the 
English people may well be proud of it. But when Queen Vic- 
toria shall have passed away, can, or will, the nation erect a more 
magnificent structure to her memory, as her position calls for ? 
— she being the Queen, and he only the husband of the Queen. 
The dedicatory inscription on the monument reads as follows : 

" Queen Victoria and The People 
To The Memory Of Albert, Prince Consort, 
As A Tribute Of Gratitude 
For A Life Devoted To The Public Good." 

Opposite to the monument is the Royal Albert Hall of Arts, 
a large amphitheatre which will hold ten thousand people, built 
something after the style of the Colosseum at Rome. It is used 
for musical entertainments, concerts, exhibitions of art, public 
meetings, balls, etc. Just south of this building is the site of 



l6o LONDON. 

the old Crystal Palace. From here we walked a short distance 
to the South Kensington Museum. Some people consider this 
even finer than the British Museum. I should say so too, if it 
were not for the Natural History Department at the British 
Museum. The building itself is much finer. The floors are of 
mosaic work, and the collections are admirably arranged in glass 
cases, Avith a good description of each article attached to it. 
Here is quite a good display of paintings, both in oil and water 
colors. Those which pleased me most were " The Death of Amy 
Robsart," by Yearns, a fine portrait of Charles Dickens, by 
Frith, Harmony by Dicksee, and "The Waning of the Year," 
by Earnest Parton. Here are departments for sculpture, jewels, 
enamels, carved ivories, metal work, carvings in stone and wood, 
china ware, porcelain, glass, terra cotta, furniture, musical in- 
struments, laces, embroidery, tapestry, etc., etc. 

It seemed like meeting old friends to see plaster casts of the 
"Column of Trajan," Michael Angelo's "Moses," the pulpit 
of the Baptistery at Pisa, the "Biga," or Roman chariot of the 
Vatican, and a copy in bronze gilt of the wonderful doors of the 
Baptistery at Florence. And think of seeing a harpsichord, more 
than two hundred years old, which used to belong to Handel ! 
Among the gems is a shoulder knot — an epaulet — completely 
covered with diamonds, which was presented to Lord Beresford 
by the Portuguese army. There are elegant refreshment rooms 
in the building, where we obtained a good lunch. 

We had heard of the Tower of London from childhood ; of 
its threefold use as fortress, palace and prison. We had read 
of the torture, misery, murders and executions which its walls 
had witnessed ; and when young in years we often looked with 
sorrowful eyes upon an old discolored wood-cut in an English 
history, portraying the execution of Anne Boleyn, the wife of 
Henry VIII. , and motht.r of Queen Elizabeth. Dressed in her 
white robe and long-flowing veil, she approaches the execution 
block with firm yet graceful step, her hands uplifted and her 
eyes raised to heaven, commending her soul to God. The exe- 
cutioner, with a touch of sympathy in his downcast eyes, stands 
ready to give the fatal blow. 



LONDON. l6l 

Poor Lady Jane Grey was also beheaded here, and Katherine 
Howard, Sir Thomas More, and scores of others — indeed, his- 
tory tells us that for several hundred years the axe was seldom 
still ; and for centuries these dungeons echoed with the groans 
of prisoners. No wonder then that when we beheld its many 
strong towers, some thirteen in number, the recollections of the 
past almost made us sick at heart. Its area within the walls 
covers a space of twelve acres, and its massive walls are fourteen 
feet thick. The earliest and principal portion is the White 
Tower, built by William the Conqueror, in the eleventh century 
— but there are good reasons for supposing that it was begun by 
Julius Csesar. I fully indorse the following description of the 
Tower of London : " It is a confused mass of houses, towers, 
forts, batteries, ramparts, barracks, armories, store-houses and 
other buildings." This has always been the place of deposit for 
the national arms and accoutrements. 

We first entered the Horse Armory, on the south side of the 
White Tower. It is one hundred and fifty feet long and thirty- 
three feet wide. A row of equestrian figures extends the whole 
length of the apartment, with both horses and riders fully 
equipped in suits of armor, showing the various styles of the dif- 
ferent periods between the thirteenth and seventeenth centuries. 
Each suit, for the sake of chronology, is assigned to some king 
or knight, viz. : There is a gallant rider clad in steel armor from 
head to foot, labelled "The Earl of Leicester" (Robert Dud- 
ley) ; there is King Henry VI., with sleeves and skirt, back and 
breast plates all of chain mail, the limbs protected by jambs and 
the feet by long pointed sollerets. Then there are any amount 
of warriors standing up like sentinels, completely sheathed in 
steel from the helmet to the boots. Some of these coats of mail 
are so ingeniously wrought that they are as flexible as any gar- 
ment could be — they are apparently made of innumerable fish 
scales ; others are of steel plate with joints at the elbows, knees, 
etc. ; and others are of chain steel. Then there is a curious col- 
lection of old, ancient weapons of war. 

The department in the White Tower called Queen Elizabeth's 
ii 



162 LONDON. 

Armory contains the weapons and instruments of torture used 
during her reign. Among the latter are the thumb screws., 
heading block, heading axe and Lochaber axe. And there is 
Queen Elizabeth on horseback, dressed in a beautiful silk robe, 
bespangled with pearl beads, which was precisely copied from 
the costume she wore when she went in state to St. Paul's Cath- 
dral to give thanks for the deliverance of England from the 
threatened invasion of Spain. 

The Banqueting Hall and Council Chamber are now filled 
with sixty thousand stand of rifles, handsomely arranged, and 
pistols, swords and bayonets ingeniously set up so as to form dif- 
ferent-shaped figures. 

In one of the dungeons under this White Tower Sir Walter 
Raleigh was imprisoned for a time. We also saw the room 
where he wrote the history of the world, during his thirteen 
years of confinement in this old historic tower. He certainly 
had plenty of time. 

In the Beauchamp Tower we saw the State Prison Room with 
its interesting records cut in the stone walls by those who were 
confined there. Some have even attempted to cut a verse of 
poetry on the solid walls; and John Dudley, Earl of Warwick, 
has rudely engraved quite an elaborate shield containing the 
armorial bearings of his family — the Bear and Ragged Staff. 

After a good deal of manceuvering and extra feeing of one of 
the wardens, who wore a funny, little, low-crowned black velvet 
hat, with a striped red, white and blue band of ribbon, we 
finally gained admission to the Bloody Tower, and entered the 
small room in which the young princes, Edward V. and Duke 
of York were smothered by order of their uncle, who was after- 
wards Richard III., and saw the small staircase where their 
bodies were thrown down, and where, some time afterwards, 
their remains were found and respectably buried in Westminister 
Abbey. 

But we turn from this dark picture to look upon a bright one. 
In the Wakefield, or Jewel Tower, as it is more commonly 
called, is deposited the Regalia, or Crown Jewels, with which 



LONDON. 163 ' 

the sovereigns of England are invested at their coronation. It 
consists of royal crowns covered with diamonds, pearls, emer- 
alds, rubies, sapphires, etc., royal scepters, swords, twelve ele- 
gant salt cellars, baptismal font, sacramental plate, tankards, 
dishes and spoons, all of solid, brilliant gold, placed within an 
inclosure lined with white, and faced with beautiful plate glass, 
in the centre of a well-lighted room, with ample space for visit- 
ors to walk around it. The collective value is thirty million 
dollars. Among these gorgeous treasures is one of the largest 
diamonds in the world, called the Koh-i-noor, which is valued 
at two million pounds sterling, and is about the size of a walnut. 
Queen Victoria's crown is the handsomest, consisting of a cap 
of purple velvet, confined with hoops of silver, and surmounted 
by a ball and cross. It is extravagantly adorned with the fol- 
lowing jewels : 

1 very large ruby, 
1 very large sapphire, 
4 smaller rubies, 
16 smaller sapphires, 
n emeralds, 
1363 brilliant diamonds, 
1273 rose diamonds, 
147 table diamonds, 

4 drop-shaped- pearls, 
273 round pearls. 
After leaving the Tower, we walked through a circular iron- 
tube, about eight feet in diameter, under the bed of the river d 
Thames, running from one side to the other, lighted with gas; 
for which privilige we paid one-half penny each — boats were 
plying the river above our heads. We reached this tube by go- 
ing down a winding stair-case of one hundred and three steps, 
and the same number of steps brought us again to the light of 
day on the other side of the river. We then re-crossed in a 
swift passenger boat, and landed in the neighborhood of St. 
Paul's Cathedral. 

One evening we went to see Madam Tassaud's celebrated 



164 LONDON. 

Wax Works ; although the establishment is carried on by her 
sons, she having been dead for many years. This exhibition was 
first opened in 1772, in the Palais Royal in Paris, and was 
removed to London thirty years after, and has continued to be a 
source of entertainment to the public ever since. The apart- 
ment called the Hall of Kings contains fifty figures of kings and 
queens from the time of William the Conqueror down to the 
present. The faces are carefully modeled from portraits of the 
persons they represent. The hair of the head and beard is 
natural, the eyes of glass, and the wax of such a perfect flesh-tint 
as to bear very close inspection. The forms and attitudes are 
faultless, and they are all dressed in the richest costumes ; the 
style of the garments corresponding with the period in which 
they were worn. Some of the queens are actually attired in 
court dresses, which were purchased after being laid aside by the 
owners. And so life-like did all these figures appear (which are 
life-size) in their magnificent apparel, in this brilliantly lighted 
hall, that I almost felt out of place in my short, plain, walking 
suit. But the consoling thought that they were nothing but 
wax, put me at my ease until I peered into somebody's face 
who grew restless under my searching gaze, and began to move. 
Discovering that it was a real, live, human being who was 
standing quietly admiring a wax figure before her, I humbly 
begged pardon and withdrew. Queen Victoria and her whole 
family are here, four sons and five daughters, viz., the Princess 
Royal, Victoria \ Albert Edward, Prince of Wales ; Princess 
Alice, Prince Alfred, Princess Helena, Princess Louisa, Prince 
Arthur, Prince Leopold, and Princess Beatrice. There are also 
wax representations of other distinguished personages, among 
which are Knox, Calvin, Luther, Wesley, Spurgeon, Abraham 
Lincoln, Grant, and our beloved Garfield. Then there are dear, 
little wax babies, dressed in the most bewitching manner, softly 
nestled in their cradles, with tiny hands and feet so natural — 
even to the delicately formed pink nails, that you feel that you 
must press them in your own palm. Then there is a department 
of curiosities and relics mostly of Napoleon Bonaparte. Here is 



LONDON. 165 

the camp bedstead upon which he lay while an exile in St. He- 
lena, and upon it is stretched the wax figure of the great Gen- 
eral. And here is his carriage, which was captured at the Battle 
of Waterloo. I stepped into it, and sat while one of the attend- 
ants explained the drawers, table, writing-desk, and lamp for 
cooking, with which this wonderful carriage is furnished. 

Lastly, there is a Chamber of Horrors, containing murderers, 
men and women, with crime written on their faces, dressed in 
all sorts of costumes, from that of the gentlemen to the beggar 
clothed in rags. Guiteau is there ! A platform which has often 
been used for hanging, and also the real knife of the guillotine 
used during the Reign of Terror in Paris are here. This terri- 
ble axe beheaded over twenty thousand persons; and with a 
shudder I touched with my finger the cold steel that severed 
Marie Antoinette's head from her body. Her beautiful picture 
has always graced the home of my childhood, and I felt that I 
knew her. 

Of the many outdoor monuments and public statues with 
which London is ornamented, perhaps the Column of Nelson, 
in Trafalgar Square, is among the finest. It is of Portland 
stone, one hundred and forty-five feet high, surmounted by a 
statue of Nelson, seventeen feet high. The capital of the fluted 
column is of bronze, made from cannon captured from the 
French. The pedestal is beautifully adorned with bass-reliefs; 
and at the four corners of its base are projections upon which 
crouch four noble, colossal bronze lions. On either side is a 
magnificent fountain, spouting up the water to be caught in its 
immense granite basin, the whole surrounded by statues of dis- 
tinguished men. 

On the north side of this square is situated the National Art 
Gallery, which compares very favorably with any of the Conti- 
nental galleries. Although it was not founded until 1824, yet it 
has purchased so many valuable works of distinguished artists 
that the British, French, Italian, Dutch and Flemish schools are 
well represented, forming a collection of eleven hundred paint- 
ings, by Paul Veronese, Guido Reni, Rembrandt, Rubens, Cor- 



1 66 • LONDON. 

reggio, Laurence, Landseer, Hogarth, Turner, and hundreds 
of others. Eight rooms are devoted to the English school of 
painting. In the basement is Turner's collection of water 
colors. Among the British collection is Hogarth's greatest 
work, called "Marriage a la Mode," a series of six exceedingly 
comical pictures, portraying scenes in married life; "Shoeing 
the Bay Mare," by Landseer, and the " Scanty Meal," by Her- 
ring — three horses eating, with very little in the manger, all ad- 
mirably done. The "Magdalene," and also the " Madonna in 
Prayer," by Sassoferrato, are very fine. There are several good 
views of Venice, which brought back this romantic place to us 
with great vividness; and here is a small copy of Rembrandt's 
"Night Watch at Amsterdam." The "Resurrection of Laz- 
arus," by Sebastian del Piombo, is the most important Italian 
painting in England. It was painted in competion with Raph- 
ael's "Transfiguration;" and "The Family of Darius at the 
Feet of Alexander," is considered the finest work of Paul Ver- 
onese. 

From here we went to see the Egyptian obelisk, called Cleo- 
patra's Needle, which is situated on the Thames Embankment. 
It is seventy-five feet high, eight feet wide at its base, and weighs 
two hundred tons. On either side is an immense bronze sphynx. 

The Sabbath came again, and in the morning we went to hear 
Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon, in company with Philip Phillips and 
wife, who were acquainted with one of the deacons of the church, 
and through him we immediately obtained most desirable seats. 
Everybody who wants to hear this great preacher goes very early, 
for although the church will seat about seven thousand people, it 
is always crowded, we were told. All those who own pews have 
them reserved for them until ten minutes before the services 
begin ; after that, if there is sufficient room, the strangers are 
seated. The church is not beautiful, but large, and has two gal- 
leries. In front of the pulpit is a raised platform for the deaf. 
It was crowded with this class of men, women and children, 
many of them with ear-trumpets. Mr. Spurgeon is a short, 
thick-set man, with black hair, small, piercing black eyes, and 



LONDON. 167 

full beard, sprinkled with gray. He preached an eloquent, im- 
pressive sermon extemporaneously. Text: Psalm lxxxiv. 11. 
The\' have congregational singing, the chorister standing by the 
minister's side ; and without the aid of an organ, that vast au- 
dience, provided with hymn books, made "a joyful noise unto 
the Lord." After the services, we were invited to commune with 
these Baptists. This is one of the very few Baptist churches in 
the world, where they invite or allow other denominations to 
commune with them. We were greatly mortified at the verdant 
audacity of an American lady (happily not of our acquaintance) 
who, no sooner had the benediction been pronounced, and the 
Amen uttered, than she was up in the pulpit, soliciting Mr. 
Spurgeon's autograph. Think of it ! Of course she did not get 
it. In our own limited experience we are so bored with auto- 
graph albums, that we often wish the person who invented them 
had to fill them with writing. In the evening, I went to hear 
Rev. Dr. Newman Hall. He preached grandly from the text, 
"The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon." This Gothic church 
built in 1874, is very fine both externally and internally. The 
vaulting is supported by massive-stone pillars, and a gallery ex- 
tends around three sides. A large pipe-organ and choir of 
thirty-two voices, well trained, added much to the services. 
When Newman Hall was in America he received large contribu- 
tions towards erecting this Congregational church, amounting to 
about thirty-five thousand dollars, which was expended upon the 
handsome tower and spire. 

Mr. Culler and Mr. Philip Phillips went the same evening to 
the Salvation Army meeting at Congress Hall, curious to learn 
something of its workings. It is called the Salvation Army be- 
cause it is fashioned after the model of an army, warring against 
sin. It was originated in the east part of London in 1865 by 
William Booth, -a Methodist minister, and its present leader. 
The stations of the army are in London, and the principal towns 
of England and Wales, in Scotland, the north of Ireland, Austra- 
lia, and some places in the United States. It operates as follows : 

1. By holding meetings out of doors, and marching, singing 



1 68 LONDON. 

through the streets, accompanied by martial music, dressed in a 
uniform of navy blue, trimmed with red braid, and marked with 
the letter S. on the collar. In their songs they use the language 
of everyday life to convey God's thoughts to all in novel and 
striking forms, set to popular song-tunes. 

2. By visiting places where liquor is sold, prisons, private 
houses, speaking to and praying with all who will allow it. 

3. By holding meetings in theatres, music halls, saloons, and 
factories, thus securing hearers who would not enter a church. 

4. By making every convert a daily witness for Christ, both 
in public and private. 

Some of its advertisements seem almost sacrilegious to a re- 
fined Christian person. However, my knowledge concerning it 
is too limited to speak for or against it. During the year ending 
April 12, 1880, the Salvation Army received and expended more 
than seventy thousand dollars. I wanted to purchase a silk 
dress, and was informed that I would do well to buy of Hitch- 
cock and Williams in St. Paul's church-yard. This announce- 
ment struck me as being very comical. The idea of a firm ex- 
pecting to sell dress goods in a grave-yard, whose occupants 
need no earthly apparel! But when we investigated the matter 
we found that the cemetery which surrounds St. Paul's cathe- 
dral was formerly much larger, including the square around it, 
and therefore the shops in the immediate vacinity are said to be 
in St. Paul's church-yard. 

Approaching this majestic edifice of classic style, built of 
Portland stone (though sadly blackened with smoke), from Lud- 
gate Hill, the western front presents a very fine aspect ; a broad 
flight of gray granite steps leads to the grand entrance, under 
a double portico of coupled columns, the lower being of the 
Corinthian and the upper of the Composite order. On either 
side of the portico is a handsome tower, two hundred and twen- 
ty-two feet high. The clock tower has two dials, facing the 
west and south, each twenty feet in diameter. The minute hand 
is nine feet eight inches long, and weighs seventy-five pounds. 
The figures are more than two feet long, and the pendulum is 



LONDON. 169 

sixteen feet long. The other tower is the belfry, in which an 
immense bell has just taken the place of the old one. Upon 
which is engraved " Vae rnihi si non evangelizavero," — Woe 
unto me if I preach not the Gospel. The entablature between 
the towers contains a representation of the Conversion of St. 
Paul, in bass-relief, and above are statues of St. Paul, St. Peter 
and St. James, each eleven feet high. The cathedral is in the 
form of a Latin cross, and there is also a handsome entrance at 
each transept. The dome with its noble proportions, one hun- 
dred and eighty-nine feet in diameter, rises from the intersection 
of the nave and transepts. The entire length of the church is 
five hundred feet, breadth at the transepts two hundred and fifty 
feet, and the height from the pavement to the top of the cross is 
three hundred and sixty feet. It is the third largest church in 
the world, being excelled only by the Milan Cathedral and St. 
Peter's at Rome. It was begun in 1675, an< ^ was completed in 
thirty-five years afterwards. After looking at the exterior to our 
satisfaction we entered, and found that around the walls are 
more than fifty finely-executed monuments, mostly to English 
naval and military heroes. Here is a monument to Major Gen- 
eral Robert Ross, " who having undertaken and executed an 
enterprise against the city of Washington, the capital of the 
United States of America, which was crowned with success, he 
was killed shortly afterwards while directing a successful attack 
upon a superior force, near the city of Baltimore, September 12, 
1S14." Lord Nelson's monument records: " His splendid and 
unparalleled achievements during a life spent in the service of 
his country, and terminated at the moment of victory by a 
glorious death, in the memorable action off Cape Trafalgar, 
October 21, 1805." And here is a monument to Sir John Moore, 
whose burial at midnight we have so often read in our school 
reader, beginning : 

" Not a drum was heard, not a funeral note, 
As his corse to the rampart we hurried ; 
Not a soldier discharged his farewell shot 
O'er the grave where our hero was buried." 



I 70 LONDON. 

Turner, the celebrated painter, has also a monument erected 
to his memory. A statue of Bishop Heber, in a kneeling pos- 
ture, with one hand upon his breast and the other resting upon 
the Bible, is very beautiful. On the pedestal he is represented 
as confirming two heathen converts. He died in 1826 while a 
missionary in Calcutta. He was the author of that grand hymn, 
" From Greenland's Icy Mountains," which we so often sing in 
our Woman's Home and Foreign Missionary Society. The 
splendid pipe organ, which contains sixty stops and four 
manuals, is divided into three parts, the swell and choir organ 
being on the south side, the solo and great on the north side, and 
the pedal organ, which contains two stops thirty-two feet long, 
under one of the arches. The large bellows are in the crypt, 
and are blown by three powerful hydraulic machines ; the air is 
thence brought to reservoirs in various parts of the instrument by 
means of zinc tubing. Although there is a great distance be- 
tween the different parts of the organ, yet the touch answers 
instantaneously to the performer. The wood carvings in the 
choir stalls are of rare beauty. We descended to the crypt and saw 
the black marble sarcophagus which contains the remains of Lord 
Nelson, and stands directly beneath the dome. The porphyry 
sarcophagus of the Duke of Wellington is in a small apartment 
by itself, which is lighted by four large polished granite candel- 
abra around the coffin. In still another part of the crypt is 
Wellington's splendid funeral car. Sir Christopher Wren, the 
architect of this cathedral, also lies buried in the crypt. We 
returned to the floor of the cathedral, and then proceeded to as- 
cend to the dome. We soon came to a door which leads into 
the church library, and of course stopped to take a peep at it; 
then up we climbed again two hundred and sixty steps, and 
found ourselves in the Whispering Gallery. Its acoustic prop- 
erties are certainly wonderful ! I put my ear to the wall and 
distinctly heard what the guide whispered at the extreme opposite 
side of the circular gallery, one hundred and forty feet in 
diameter. ' Here we had a good view of the paintings in the 
dome, representing events in the life of St. Paul. When the 



LONDON. 171 

artist was painting these pictures he stepped back to mark the 
effect of his work, and unconsciously was just on the edge of the 
scaffolding ; another step would have cost him his life, when a 
person seeing his danger snatched up a brush and drew it across 
the picture. The artist, rushing forward to save his painting, 
saved his own life. We continued our climbing, and in due 
time reached the Stone Gallery, where we had a splendid view 
of London, stretching- out in a grand panorama on every side, as 
far as the eye could reach. But the Golden Gallery was far 
above us, and we could not be satisfied until we had also viewed 
London from that standpoint ; so up we went, and then ambition 
spurred us on until we at last gained the stone lantern which 
crowns the cathedral, with its ball and cross. This lantern has a 
small opening in it, through which we looked down three hun- 
dred feet upon the people below in the nave, who looked about 
as large as flies. But " what goes up must come down," and so 
did we. 

The Zoological Gardens in Regent's Park are exceedingly inter- 
esting and instructive. They contain the largest and most com- 
plete collection of living animals in the world; five hundred 
quadrupeds, one thousand birds, and one hundred reptiles. This 
collection was opened to the public more than fifty years ago, 
and by constant improvements in the grounds and additions to 
the collection, it has become a superb and popular resort. All 
the animals have room to move about at their pleasure. The 
monkey house, in the shape of a conservatory, of iron and glass, 
is large, affording plenty of room for scores of these comical 
creatures to run, leap, swing, and perform all sorts of antics, to the 
infinite delight of crowds of people who gather about them. The 
lion house has large, roomy cages, containing several varieties of 
these ferocious animals. On the opposite side of the building 
are rows of seats, where visitors may sit and watch their move- 
ments, and see them fed at four o'clock p. m. This is quite ex- 
( iting. The keeper throws in great pieces of nice fresh beef, and 
they instantly seize and tear it to shreds with their sharp claws 
and teeth, and devour it ravenously. One old fellow got a leg- 



172 LONDON. 

bone, and it took him a little longer than the others to strip the 
meat from it. He laid himself out for a good dinner, and tak- 
ing the bone in his fore paws, began to gnaw at it with a satisfied 
air. I suppose his inward gratification was in some mysterious 
manner communicated to his tail, for it began to wag most gra- 
ciously. The lion, unconscious that he possessed this caudal ap- 
pendage, and spying it, upon casting a backward glance, sup- 
posed it to be some sneaking intruder, and dropping his bone, 
he snapped at it most savagely. Perceiving his mistake, he again 
resumed his meal. But this selfish scene was enacted several 
times before the bone was picked. We smiled at this, but shud- 
dered when his deafening roar resounded through the building 
like a heavy clap of thunder, as if proclaiming himself the King 
of Beasts. Here is a building containing two or three hundred 
parrots of the most gorgeous colors imaginable, white, pink, blue, 
green, yellow, black, scarlet and mottled ; all talking, whistling, 
screaming, chattering ; presenting the best illustration of con- 
fusion I ever witnessed. Then there is the repHle house, with its 
huge tropical snakes trying to keep themselves warm under heavy 
blankets, with which they are provided. The chief attraction, 
however, is a monstrous pair of hippopotami, presented by the 
Viceroy of Egypt. We watched them for some time swimming 
around in a large artificial pond which is connected with their 
stable. Two large elephants and several camels, with scarlet vel- 
vet seats upon their backs, were making themselves useful as well 
as ornamental, by giving the children a ride, and thus earning 
something for the Zoological Society. Each seat will accommo- 
date six children. Among all the animals I saw I will give the 
palm to the rhinoceros for being the ugliest. He is a great, 
clumsy, awkward animal, with a skin somewhat resembling that 
of the elephant, only it does not fit so well. It hangs in folds 
around his short neck ; a fold also extends between the shoulders 
and fore-legs, and another from the back to the thighs. He has 
a fearfully homely head, with funnel-shaped ears, not much 
larger than a donkey's, and a single black horn near the end of 
the nose. Here may be seen animals from all parts of the globe ; 



LONDON. 



!73 



elephants, hippopotami, rhinoceroses, giraffes, camels, yaks, buf- 
faloes, elks, reindeer, lions, zebras, bears, tigers, panthers, goats, 
beavers, tapirs, ant-eaters, sea-lions, kangaroos, deer, gazelle, 
ducks, flamingoes, pelicans, gulls, sand-pipers, parrots, ostriches, 
bald eagles, vultures, leopards, raccoons, foxes, wolves, alpaca 
sheep, bisons, boa-constrictors, rattlesnakes, alligators, croco- 
diles, Polar bears, monkeys, donkeys, llamas, hyenas, antelopes, 
innumerable birds and fishes, and many other animals which I 
can not now recall. The annual expense of these Gardens is 
one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. 

We went to Sydenham, a thirty-minutes' ride on the train, to 
visit the Crystal Palace. This magnificent structure was built in 
1853, and is made entirely of glass and iron. Five hundred 
tons of glass, and nine thousand six hundred and forty tons of 
iron, were used in its construction. It is one thousand three 
hundred and ninety-two feet long, three hundred and eighty-four 
feet wide, and two hundred feet high, and cost about nine mil- 
lion dollars. It is a permanent exposition building, erected for 
the purpose of furthering the education of the people, and af- 
fording innocent amusements and musical treats. In the central 
part of the building is an immense organ, having nearly five 
thousand pipes; and there are raised seats for the accommoda- 
tion of the Handel orchestra, which consists of four thousand 
performers ; and below there are seats which will accommodate 
eight thousand people, surrounded by beautiful tropical plants. 
A concert is given here every day, at two o'clock p. m. Being 
present at that hour, we enjoyed a rich musical feast. The palace 
is divided into different departments or courts, viz: the Greek 
court, Egyptian court, Italian court, Sheffield court, manufactur- 
ing court, chinaand glass court, etc., where we saw a model of the 
Colosseum, Pantheon, Roman Forum, plaster casts of several 
noted pieces of statuary that we had seen in different cities all over 
the Continent, a picture gallery, a department where silk ribbons 
are woven, another where pictures are printed on linen handker- 
chiefs, another where all sorts of ivory and shell ornaments and 
jewelry are made, a department in which candies are manufac- 



174 LONDON. 

tured in every conceivable style and shape. A candy chair. 
large enough for a person to sit on, was made of fifty-six pounds 
of loaf sugar. And there were whole tea-sets made of sugar. 
Then there are scores of tempting stalls or booths filled with at- 
tractive articles, such as jewels of coral and gold, photographs, 
laces, tidies, ribbons, and fancy things of all descriptions. Re- 
freshments can also be obtained here. The palace is surrounded 
by a most beautiful park of one hundred and ninety-two acres, 
laid out in gravel walks, handsome flower-beds, luxuriant trees, 
sparkling fountains, artificial lakes, elegant statues, broad terraces 
and rustic arbors, making it a most delightful retreat from the 
rush and bustle of London. 

The Royal Academy of Arts is an annual exhibition, from May 
until August, of works of modern artists, in oil, water colors and 
sculpture. Thirteen large rooms are devoted to this purpose, 
and besides these is a spacious room where the annual banquet is 
held, another for lectures and the distribution of prizes, schools 
of art for students, and a library room. All works sent for exhi- 
tion are submitted to the judgment of a council, whose decision 
is final. No artist is allowed to exhibit more than eight different 
works. All the pictures must be in gilt' frames. Works which 
have been already publicly exhibited in London, or copies of any 
kind (excepting paintings on enamel) are not admitted. There 
are a number of other rules, showing that the whole arrangement 
is very systematic. There were one thousand five hundred and 
forty-one pictures on exhibition this year, and all admirably 
executed. It was. a real treat to see these fresh new pictures in 
modern styles after seeing so many by the old masters. One 
entitled "Members of the Commons," was a landscape with 
two jackasses and a flock of geese in the foreground. Another 
picture termed Romeo and Juliet consisted of a stone wall with 
a cat on the top and another on the ground in the next yard. 
And still another picture portraying young Prince Arthur with 
his arms around Hubert, imploring him to spare his eye- 
sight. His young, sweet face contrasts strangely with the dark 
visage of the man beside him, and you seem to hear him saying. 



LONDON. 175 

" O spare mine eyes, though to no use but still to look on you." 
There were many beautiful landscapes, sea pieces, and one lovely 
snow scene that I should so much like to call my own. Then 
there were portraits exquisitely painted ; one a full length of the 
Princess Louise (Marchioness of Lome). " The King Drinks" 
represents a lion lapping water from a running brook in a forest : 
there he is, life size and so natural that you almost shrink upon 
the first glimpse, for fear he may suddenly spring upon you. 
Many of these pictures were already sold. It seemed a pity that 
they could not all be kept together as a permanent picture 
gallery. Among the statuary was a marble bust of Her Majesty, 
Queen Victoria, sculptured by her daughter, the Princess Louise. 
One afternoon we went to the Charing Cross station, near the 
National Gallery, and took a little trip on the underground rail- 
road to Kew Gardens. This mode of traveling is not at all 
pleasant. It is like going through a tunnel, only when it comes 
out from under the buildings, streets, etc. It passes also under 
the Thames river. We enjoyed the Kew Botanical Gardens 
more than we can tell. They are very extensive, containing two 
hundred and seventy acres, handsomely laid out in broad walks. 
rare trees, flower-beds, an artificial lake with a fountain in the 
centre, surrounded by the most artistic-shaped beds of blooming 
plants, with the flowers arranged in a special manner, so as to 
give regularity to the distribution of color ; and a large range 
of hot-houses containing the plants, flowers and vegetable curi- 
osities of every clime. Here we found a vast variety of cactuses. 
and the most extraordinary fuchsias, like running vines, and 
literally covered with blossoms. There are six hundred species 
of ferns, including tree and tropical ferns. The palm house, 
quite a palace of glass, is three hundred and sixty-two feet long, 
one hundred feet wide, and sixty-four feet high. Some of the 
palms reach to the roof. Here is the cocoanut palm, with the 
nut growing directly in the centre ; the banana with its immense 
leaves and clusters of fruit; coffee, nutmeg and clove trees, each 
bearing fruit, but in a green state, and the " deadly Upas tree," 
from Java. One of the water-lily houses has, in a large hot 



1 76 LONDON. 

water tank, the wonderful Victoria lily. Its leaves are circular, 
about six or seven feet in diameter, and they rest on the surface 
of the water. The edge of the leaf is turned up, resembling a 
pie-pan. There was a large white bud in the centre, but no full 
blown lily. There were perhaps eight or ten of these immense 
leaves ; one was dead and had been turned over, so Ave were per- 
mitted to see the very strong net-work of ribs on the under side. 
Our last day in London was the Sabbath. In the morning we 
went to Whitefield's Tabernacle ; in the afternoon to St. Paul's 
Cathedral and heard Canon Liddon very indistinctly, as the 
building is so immense that it seems to swallow up the sound, the 
music being exceptionally fine ; and in the evening Mr. Culler 
went to hear Stopford Brooke, a brilliant writer and thinker, 
but not of the orthodox faith. We left London at noon on Mon- 
day from the Paddington station. The hackman tried to extort 
more money from us than his fare, and when he found we were 
sharp enough to attend to our own affairs, remarked, in his rough, 
burly manner : " We are quite as clever as you are on the other 
side of the water." 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Reaching Windsor, we proceeded immediately to the Castle, 
leaving our baggage at the station. It scarcely seemed possible 
as I looked at this huge structure, with its magnificent Round 
Tower and more than half a dozen others rising in their majesty 
and strength, that I was really beholding Windsor Castle, one of 
the Queen's residences. We were admitted to all the State 
apartments except the Waterloo Chamber (which contains por- 
traits of sovereigns, statesmen and generals concerned in the war 
against Bonaparte) which was not shown on account of the great 
crowd of visitors from London, it being Bank Holiday. These 
apartments are the Queen's Audience Chamber, the Queen's 
Presence Chamber, the Guard Chamber, St. George's Hall, the 
Grand Reception Room, the Waterloo Chamber, the Grand 
Vestibule, the State Ante-room, the Zuccarelli Room and the 
Vandyke Room. The walls of the first two rooms are embel- 
lished with Gobelin tapestry, representing the history of Queen 
Esther in seven scenes. They are very beautiful, the figures 
standing out like life. Over the doors and mantel-pieces are 
also large portraits of distinguished persons. One represents 
Mary, Queen of Scots, life size, in a mourning habit with a cru- 
cifix in her hand ; and in the background is a representation of 
her execution at Fotheringay. There are also Latin inscriptions 
on the picture, giving a brief history of her life and death. The 
Guard Chamber contains a collection of arms and armor and 
many interesting relics, among which is the fore-mast of the ves- 
sel Victory, which was completely perforated by a cannon ball 
at the battle of Trafalgar; two historical chairs, one made from 
an oak beam taken from "Alloway's auld haunted kirk" and 
the other from an elm tree which grew on the battle field of 
Waterloo. 

12 (177) 



178 WINDSOR CASTLE. 

We next entered St. George's Hall, a room two hundred feet 
long, where the Queen confers the Order of the Garter, which 
was here instituted in 1349, by Edward III. Its ceiling is dec- 
orated with the coat of arms of the Knights of che Garter, and 
the walls ornamented with the portraits of the sovereigns, from 
James I. to George IV. At each end is a music gallery with 
pipe organ. In front of one of these galleries is the sovereign's 
throne, and on the wall behind it are twenty-four shields, with 
the coat of arms of each sovereign of the order, from Edward 
III. to William IV. The names of the several knights are 
printed on the side walls. 

The Grand Reception Room has a large blue and gilt vase 
standing on either side of each door. The walls are hung with 
handsome Gobelin tapestry, representing the story of Jason and 
Medea. At one end of the room is a magnificent green mal- 
achite vase, presented to the Queen by the Emperor of Russia; 
and on either side of it a beautiful granite tazza, presented to 
King William IV. by the King of Prussia. 

The Grand Vestibuie is a large apartment, lighted from above 
by an octagonal lantern of rich design. Here are ancient suits 
of armor, military trophies, etc., and at one end is a fine marble 
statue of Queen Victoria seated on her throne, accompanied by 
her favorite dog "Sharp." 

The frescoed ceiling of the State Ante-Room represents a 
banquet of the gods. There are six pieces of Gobelin tapestry 
in this apartment, and some of the most delicate wood-carving 
wrought into fish and fowl, and festooned wreaths of flowers and 
fruit. Let into the wall over the fire-place is the stained glass 
portrait of King George III. in his coronation robes. The light 
coming through the colored glass gives a fine effect to the picture. 

The Zuccarelli Room contains nine large paintings by that 
master, and the Vandyke Room contains twenty-two pictures by 
Vandyke. In one of the apartments is an ivory throne, carved 
in the most exquisite and lavish manner. 

On one side of the Castle is a beautiful green terrace, orna- 
mented fantastically with brilliant flowers. On another side is 



OXFORD. I79 

an extensive deer park of five hundred acres, for the British 
Royalty, and it is connected with another immense park of 
eighteen hundred acres by the "Long Walk," a superb avenue 
three miles long, flanked with graceful elms. 

Belonging to the Castle is St. George's Chapel, and adjoining 
it Prince Albert's Chapel. They are said to be very sumptuous 
in the interior, but Bank holiday is not the time to see them. 

The quaint old city of Oxford has twenty colleges and only 
forty thousand inhabitants. It is fairly crammed with literature 
and literary people. History stares at you from every stand- 
point, even the very atmosphere seems freighted with the breath 
of knowledge. We first visited the Bodleian Library, a large 
quadrangular building with an open court in the centre. The 
Divinity School occupies a beautiful room on the ground floor, 
with elaborately groined ceiling, richly carved with heraldic 
bearings and monograms. It is used for exercises for the Uni- 
versity degrees of B. D. and D. D. From this room we entered 
what is called the Convocation House, used for conferring de- 
grees upon students who have passed the requisite public exami- 
nations ; and also for the transaction of general business. We 
were taken into a small room adjoining this, where we were 
shown a variety of black robes, differing in the cut of the sleeve, 
or shape of the hood ; worn to indicate the degree of scholar- 
ship attained. We then ascended the stairs to the famous Bod- 
leian Library, which contains more than two hundred and fifty 
thousand volumes and twenty thousand manuscripts. It has a 
right to a copy of every book published in England. Through 
the centre are glass cases containing many relics, and models of 
ancient buildings ; among which were the exercise books used by 
Edward VI and Queen Elizabeth when they were children ; var- 
ious specimens of illuminated books, made by monks, between 
the eighth and tenth centuries, the letters all perfectly made by 
hand, upon fine, thin parchment, with beautiful, bright-colored 
illustrations and gold blazonry, which must have taken the pa- 
tience of Job to execute ; the very lantern taken from Guy 
'Fawkes, when he was about to blow up the Houses of Parliament, 



l8o OXFORD. 

in the reign of King James I ; Sir Thomas Bodley's iron chest, 
with a lock covering the whole interior of the lid ; a German 
Bible, printed in 1541, with Martin Luther's and Melanchthon's 
signatures on the fly leaf; the original manuscript of Robert 
Burns, containing verses on a louse ; an old map of England, 
made in the fourteenth century ; a picture of Robert Dudley ; a 
beautiful model of Calcutta Cathedral, in white marble ; and a 
chair made out of Drake's ship, bearing the following inscription 
by the poet Cowley, in 1662 : 

"To this great Ship, which round the Globe has run. 
And matched in race the Chariot of the Sun, 
This Pythagorean Ship (for it may claim 
Without presumption, so deserved a name) 
By knowledge once, and transformation now 
In her new shape this sacred port allow. 
Drake and his Ship could not have wished from fate 
A happier station or more blest estate, 
For lo ! A seat of endless rest is given 
To her in Oxford and to him in Heaven." 

We next went to the Sheldonian theatre, which is very near 
by. We were told that at the annual commemoration the gal- 
leries and parquet, which will seat about four thousand persons, 
are crowded to listen to the Creweian Latin oration in commem- 
oration of founders and benefactors; and also prize compositions 
recited by their authors. It is here that degrees of honor are 
conferred upon distinguished men. A candidate for the degree 
of Bachelor of Music or Doctor of Music must compose an ora. 
torio, and conduct its rendering under the baton. We ascended 
to the cupola, where a gentlemen pointed out the different col- 
leges and other buildings of interest. The names of the colleges 
are Magdalen, Corpus Christi (Christ Church College), Wad- 
ham, Keble, Hertford, New College, Queens, University, All 
Souls, Brasenose, Oriel, Merton, Pembroke, Worcester, Balliol, 
Trinity, Exeter, Jesus, Lincoln, and St. John's. Each college 
is built with an open court or quadrangle in the centre, and each 
has its chapel connected with it, in which the students are ex- 



OXFORD. l8l 

pected to attend divine worship. Some of these chapels are very 
handsome, yet they are all different. These colleges all belong 
to the Church of England, but have been endowed by different 
men, and each has its own library. 

After passing through the great stone archway, and crossing 
the court of Christ Church College, we entered the Cathedral, 
which is the chapel for the college, and also the chief church of 
the diocese of Oxford. Its spire is one of the most ancient in 
England. The choir has a superb groined roof, and is pro- 
fusely embellished with wood carving. This church was erected 
in the twelfth century, and the college with which it is combined 
was founded by Cardinal Wolsey, in 1525. Under the Belfry 
Tower, which is situated at one corner of the quadrangle, we 
ascended the dining-hall staircase, the elegant fan tracery of the 
stone roof being supported by a single slender column. This 
dining-hall, where the students come to take their dinner at 
seven p. m., is a grand room. The ceiling is of Irish oak, 
decorated with armorial bearings. The stained glass windows 
give it a richness, and the walls are ornamented with seventy 
portrait paintings of men who have graduated from this institu- 
tion, and have afterwards gained distinction. The Prince of 
Wales and also Prince Leopold graduated here. The portraits 
of Queen Elizabeth, Henry VIII. and Cardinal Wolsey, the two 
latter by Holbein, hang at one end of the room. We were told 
that in 1533 a banquet was given to Henry VIII. in this room, 
and that Elizabeth, James I. and Charles I. had witnessed dra- 
matic representations here. In the centre of the room were long 
dining tables and benches. We explored the kitchen where the 
meals are prepared, and saw a monstrous gridiron on wheels, 
which was formerly used for broiling the "chops." Hanging 
against the wall was a list of students' names and the number of 
their rooms. They have all their meals* taken to their own pri- 
vate apartments except the dinner. We were somewhat surprised 
to learn that every one of these colleges have their provisions 
sent from London, and in fact all their necessaries. So the col- 
leges are no benefit to the commercial interests of Oxford. It 



l82 OXFORD. 

being vacation, the students were away rusticating, so we did not 
have the pleasure of seeing them in their long black gowns and 
peculiar caps. The quadrangle is two hundred and sixty-four by 
two hundred and sixty-one feet, being larger than that of any of 
the other colleges. Its lovely greensward, closely shaven, looked 
as soft and rich as a velvet carpet. To the north is the Library, 
a handsome edifice, having a picture gallery on the lower floor, 
and the books and manuscripts of historic interest on the upper 
floor. At the south of the quadrangle are the New Buildings, 
which contain fifty sets of rooms for students' lodgings. As a 
special favor, we were permitted to visit some of these apart- 
ments. The undergraduates each have a sitting-room and bed- 
room, which they furnish themselves, according to their taste 
and means. One gentleman, whose apartments were furnished 
handsomely, had his walls ornamented with no less than eight 
deer heads (stuffed). I think when he gets through college, and 
has a real, live dear of his own he will not be so fond of these. 
A Bachelor of Arts has four rooms to himself: two bedrooms, 
an extra one to accommodate a friend or visitor, a private sit- 
ting-room, and a room in which he may lecture to a few stu- 
dents or listen to their recitations. Each student rooms alone. 
On the west side of the quadrangle, above the grand entrance 
gateway, rises the splendid tower which contains the celebrated 
" Great Tom," a bell weighing eighteen thousand pounds. We 
climbed to its summit; and, after admiring the giant bell on the 
exterior, we thought we would stand inside, as it was plenty high 
enough, and hung a sufficient distance from the floor to admit 
of our crawling under. While standing up inside, I said to my 
husband, "What if this bell should ring !" No sooner had the 
words escaped my lips than the monstrous iron hammer, regu- 
lated by the machinery of the clock in the tower, struck the 
hour of four, on the outside of the bell. I crawled out pretty 
lively, but Mr. Culler got the full benefit of the four strokes. 
Every night, at five minutes past nine, "Old Tom" tolls one 
hundred and one strokes, as a signal for the closing of the col- 
lege gates, which are immense iron structures, and all the stores 



OXFORD. 183 

of Oxford close when they hear the "mighty Tom " We were 
told that an old sexton, who had rung the bell for twenty-five 
years, one night made a mistake, and rang it an hour too soon. 
Every shop closed, and the next day the old man was discharged 
for his carelessness. 

In front of that portion of the college termed the New Build- 
ings, is a lovely avenue of elms, called the broad walk. This 
communicates with a beautiful shaded river walk, a mile or more 
in length, which encloses a large grassy meadow. Some of these 
venerable elms have been standing since the time of the Refor- 
mation. Great care is taken to preserve them. They are of 
gigantic size, and their spreading branches meeting overhead, form 
a complete leafy canopy. One of the oldest trees had evidently 
met with some accident, for the mutilated part of the trunk is 
walled up with brick and mortar, to prevent its decay. On the 
same principle as filling teeth, it was much better to preserve it 
in this manner, than to pull it up by the roots and throw it away. 
We followed this shady path down to the Thames river, where 
the shore was lined with barges belonging to the College Rowing 
Club. During the summer term, the eight-oar races take place, 
when some twenty crews compete for the glory of heading the 
river. 

An elderly English gentleman, a bachelor, who owns a large 
estate called the Manor House, Hampton Gay, nine miles from 
Oxford, by the name of R. Langton Pearson, was stopping for 
a few days at our hotel, and kindly offered to accompany us and 
render us all the assistance which his familiarity with the place 
afforded. We found him to be a gentleman of superior taste 
and culture, and most companionable. Since returning home, 
we received a letter from him, from which we quote the follow- 
ing: "I have not forgotten our argument concerning Byzan- 
tine architecture, when in Exeter College Chapel, August 9. 
Since that time I have been reading up on the subject of the 
course and current of architecture, its origin, successive and 
simultaneous developments, relations, periods, and characteris- 
tics of its various known styles, more especially in its progress 



184 OXFORD. 

from the East to the West ; beginning with Ancient Egyptians, 
whose origin is lost in the night of time, beyond the ken of his- 
toric or monumental record — Assyrian— Babylonian — Persian — 
Greek — Roman — Christian — Romanesque — -Byzantine — Sara- 
cenic — Norman Sicilian — Norman, or more correctly, Round 
Gothic, Pointed Gothic, /. e. the style known as early English, 
Geometrical, the Decorated and the Perpendicular — the Italian 
Renaissance and its treatment in England, France, Spain, etc. 
For instance : St. Peter's, at Rome, is an example of the Italian 
Renaissance, as St. Paul's in London is an example of the Eng- 
lish Renaissance. I have had access to the reference library 
at the Bodleian, which contains grand works upon the subject, 
with magnificent illustrations of the various examples. The study 
of the Egyptian and Assyrian is to me vastly interesting in re- 
lation to the history in the Old Testament." 

Having so thoroughly "done" Christ Church College, we did 
not care to enter into the details of the others, as they are all 
similar in their operations and arrangements. 

Just here let me state that Oxford is the birthplace of Method- 
ism, founded by John Wesley, and a beautiful Methodist church 
stands as a memorial of his work. 

Instead of each college having its own apparatus, there is an 
Institution called the University Museum, for the teaching and 
study of the natural sciences, provided with everything which is 
necessary for the perfection of knowledge in Mathematics, Chem- 
istry, Mineralogy, Geology, Zoology, Anatomy, Physiology and 
Medicine. 

We walked through the Botanic Gardens, which occupy five 
acres, furnished with herbaceous and aquatic plants, indigenous 
and exotic, containing several conservatories, also a library and 
lecture-room for the Professors of Botany. Magdalen College 
was founded in 1458, and is considered the finest in architectural 
beauty. It, like most of the other colleges, is over-run with ivy, 
giving it a most picturesque appearance. Its buildings form 
three quadrangles, covering an area of eleven acres, and its 
grounds occupy one hundred acres. Heie, in green meadows, 



OXFORD. 185 

adorned with graceful elms, were great numbers of tame 
deer. We took a stroll down "Addison's walk," a roman- 
tic, shady avenue, so called, because when he was a member 
of this college he so often frequented this delightful, wind- 
ing path, which appears to have no end. Returning to the 
chapel, we were told that every May-day morning at five o'clock, 
a Latin hymn is sung by the well trained choir of the chapel on 
the summit of the tower; a custom which has been kept up for 
centuries. 

We visited the chapel of New College, and were much pleased 
with it, especially the stained glass windows. The large West 
window, painted in 1777, delighted me more than any stained 
glass I had seen anywhere. The chief picture represents the 
Nativity, and the lower range of figures, the cardinal and Chris- 
tian virtues. The latter are life-sized female figures in the most 
graceful and expressive attitudes, beautiful in form and feature; 
and the windows on one side of the choir, designed by the 
scholars of Rubens, are exquisitely rich in coloring. The figures 
are clad in robes of the most gorgeous hues, garnet, gold, blue, 
and rich olive green, yet all blending harmoniously. 

The greatest attraction of All Souls College chapel is the sin- 
gularly beautiful reredos. It comprises thirty-six large, and 
nearly one hundred small statues, under profusely carved can- 
opies, surrounding the principal subject, the Crucifixion. It 
completely covers the end of the chapel, and is much finer than 
a similar one in New College Chapel. 

We also visited the chapels of Trinity, Exeter and Worcester 
Colleges. The latter is sumptuously decorated in the Roman- 
esque style, with marbles, mosaics, gildings, paintings, and is 
considered by many to be the handsomest of all the chapels of 
Oxford. 

In St. Mary's Church there is a marble slab in the floor, upon 
which are the following words: "In a vault of brick, at the 
upper end of the choir of this church, lies Amy Robsart, the ill- 
fated heroine of Sir Walter Scott's Kenilworth. Her body was 
conveyed to Oxford from Cumnor Hall, some three or four 
miles distant." 



1 86 OXFORD. 

Allow me to quote what another says about the view from 
Queen's College up High street : " The visitor here beholds the 
finest sweep of street architecture which Europe can exhibit. 
Antwerp may have quainter pieces, Edinburgh more striking 
blendings of art with nature, Paris and London may show 
grander coups d' oeil (prospects), and there is architecture more 
picturesque in Nuremberg and Frankfort, but for stately beauty, 
that same broad curve of colleges, enhanced by many a spire 
and dome, and relieved by a background of rich foliage, is abso- 
lutely without a parallel." 

Of course we could not leave Oxford without visiting the Uni- 
versity Printing Office. This establishment is one of the largest 
and most complete anywhere. The south wing is devoted to 
the printing of Bibles and prayer-books, and the north wing to 
works of a learned and educational character. We walked 
through the large press-room, two hundred and ninety-three feet 
long by twenty-eight wide, where we saw thirty presses running 
by steam-power ; passed through the stereotype, electrotype and 
type founderies, and in fact, through all the departments, and 
received explanations of all the different operations. The large 
corps of workmen were most courteous and seemed glad, to give us 
all the information in their power. We walked between stacks of 
unbound Bibles reaching from the floor to the ceiling, with only 
narrow passages between them. One large room, which they 
termed their laundry, was filled with printed matter hanging up 
to dry. They send their books to London to be bound, and the 
daily amount sent away is astonishing ! 

The Martyr's Memorial, a handsome carved stone monu- 
ment, bears the following inscription on its base: "To the Glory 
of God, and in grateful commemoration of his servants, Thomas 
Cranmer, Nicholas Ridley, Hugh Latimer, Prelates of the 
Church of England, who, near this spot, yielded their bodies to 
be burned ; bearing witness to the sacred truths which they had 
affirmed and maintained against the errors of the Church of 
Rome; and rejoicing that to them it was given not only to believe 
in Christ, but also to suffer for his sake. This monument was 



CHELTENHAM. 187 

erected by public subscription in the year of our Lord, 
MDCCCXLI." Upon leaving Oxford, we could truly say with 
Hawthorne, "It is a despair to see such a place and ever to 
leave it; for it would take a lifetime, and more than one, to 
comprehend and enjoy it satisfactorily." 

A ride of two and a half hours on the train brought us to , 
Cheltenham, my birthplace. It has a population of forty-five 
thousand, and is a most charming city, and a fashionable water- 
ing place, picturesquely surrounded by the Cotswold range of 
hills, which forms a lovely background in the landscape which- 
ever way you turn. The greatest attention is given to the 
cleanliness of the streets. The walks and drives in the town and 
suburbs are especially pleasing, presenting handsome residences, 
beautiful yards, and flowers in rich abundance. Here, as every- 
where in England, the ivy is most luxuriant; enhancing the 
beauty of churches, costly edifices and private mansions, and 
also kindly covering up the ugliness and poverty of unsightly 
buildings. Passing through the streets one sees many invalids 
in easy chairs, or small low carriages drawn by men. The 
principal mineral springs are the Montpeller Spa, the Pittville 
Spa, and the Cambray Spa. Besides its sanitary celebrity, it is 
famous as an educational town. It has four colleges, grammar 
schools, and several private schools. Its churches and chapels 
are twenty-two in number. The Promenade, a broad avenue 
lined with stately trees, leads to the most fashionable part of the 
city. The principal thoroughfare is High street, which is crossed 
by Hales Road. Not far from where they intersect in Rose Hill 
street, stands the house in which I was born, thirty-four years 
ago. Although its present occupants were strangers, we made 
bold to ring the door-bell, briefly give our history, and ask to see 
the house. While in an upper chamber where my eyes first 
opened to the light of day, I thought of how eventful my life had 
been thus far, and my good husband declared that God sent the t 
little English baby to America to be a wife for him. Immedi- 
ately upon our arrival in the city, we learned through a cousin 
that we had many relatives living here, who greeted us with 



1 88 STRATFORD ON AVON. 

sunny faces and warm hearts, and during our stay of five days, 
did all in their power to make it pleasant for us: It seemed 
delightfully strange to be visiting with aunts and uncles, cousins, 
second cousins, and even a great-uncle, whom I had never seen 
before, except with unconscious baby eyes; and when on Sabbath 
we attended St. Mary's Church, grown gray with the breath of 
age, having been founded in the eighth or ninth century, my 
thoughts wandered from the sermon occasionally, as I found 
myself wondering just in what spot in this ancient church my 
parents were married, fifty years ago. The names of Battledown 
Estate, Landsdown Place, Leckampton Hill, High Street, Hales 
•Road, Rose Hill Street, Prestbury, Cross Hands, and Hardwick, 
all seemed familiar from hearing my father talk about them. In 
an old-fashioned graveyard at Hardwick, more than half the 
tombstones bear the name of Yeend. 

This rest of a week was a refreshing oasis in our journey, and 
recruited in body and mind, after many affectionate farewells 
and thrilling hand-shakings, we set out for Stratford on Avon, 
to see Shakspeare's old home. [Quite a remarkable fact 
that two such illustrious persons as myself and Shakspeare should 
be born within a distance of four hours' ride from each other.] 
We found his low, humble, old-fashioned stone cottage in 
Henley street, and as thousands of visitors go to see it every 
year, of course there were several others there on the same 
errand as ourselves. The front-room was called the kitchen, 
where the meals were prepared over an immense fire-place, and 
the floor is paved with uneven stones of various sizes. In the 
next room, called the best kitchen, was a large blank-book in 
which visitors were expected to record their names. This is 
quite a curiosity in itself, containing the names of rich and poor, 
high and low. in every language. We ascended an old, queer 
staircase to the room in which Shakspeare was born, so low that 
even a short person can touch the ceiling with the hand ; and 
visitors have taken advantage of this by scribbling the ceiling 
with autographs until there is actually room for no more; the walls 
are in the same condition, and even the panes of glass are com- 



. STRATFORD ON AVON. I 89 

pletely covered with the names of visitors cut with diamond 
rings, and among them we could legibly trace the name of 
Waiter Scott. In an adjoining room hung a fine portrait of the 
poet when he was about forty years old. It is covered with 
glass and placed in a fire-proof frame, or safe, which is securely 
locked every night. A door in the front kitchen leads into the 
museum, an apartment formerly used by Shakspeare's father for 
pic king wool. Here we saw the veritable desk that Shakspeare 
used when a boy at school ; and from the manner in which it 
was hacked, and cut, and covered with rude initials, we con- 
cluded that the great poet resembled our modern boys in mis- 
chievous propensities. We saw his signet-ring, which he used 
to wear on his thumb; a handsome carved vase made from his 
mulberry tree; scores of manuscripts, copies of the first second 
and third editions of his works, his library, and other relics. 
We then turned our steps to the church where Shakspeare is 
buried. On the stone in the floor which covers his remains, are 
the following lines, said to have been written by himself: 

" Good Friend, for Jesus' sake forbear 
To dig the dust enclosed here. 
Blessed be the man that spares these stones, 
And cursed be he that moves my bones." 

Near him are buried his wife and family. On the wall, within 
an ornamental arch, is the bust of Shakspeare holding a pen in 
one hand and a scroll in the other ; and beneath is this inscrip- 
tion : 

" Stay, passenger ; why goest thou by so fast ? 
Read if thou canst, whom envious death hath placed 
Within this monument : Shakspeare, with whom 
Quick nature died ; whose name doth deck this tomb 
Far more than cost, since all that he hath writ, 
Leaves living art but page to serve his wit," 
Died in 1616, aged fifty-three. 

That same evening we went to Warwick, and next morning 
started out to see the Castle. Arriving at the gates before time 
for opening, the porter advised us to view the Castle from the 



190 WARWICK. 

bridge across the Avon River. We were admiring its stately 
grandeur, when whom should we see approaching but a brother 
minister, Rev. G. W. Halderman, his wife and little boy, from 
America. It was a happy meeting on this historic spot, and we 
spent the day together. Passing through an embattled gateway, 
we approached the Castle by a broad road cut through the solid 
rocks, which are entirely covered with the most luxuriant ivies ; 
and spreading branches form a lovely canopy overhead. We 
were soon in the outer court, where looms up the Castle in all 
its sublimity. On the right is Guy's Tower, thirty feet in diam- 
ter, and one hundred and twenty-eight feet high, with walls ten 
feet thick. On the left of this tower, and connected with it by 
a strong embattled wall, is Caesar's Tower, which is eight hun- 
dred years old. The whole structure is simply immense ! It suf- 
fered severely from fire in 187 1, but has been thoroughly restored. 
It is owned by Earl George Guy Greville, and as the family came 
home the day before, many of the apartments were not open to 
visitors. We, however, were shown the great hall, containing a 
collection of armor, with the Bear and Ragged Staff of Robert 
Dudley's crest carved on the Gothic vaulting; the red drawing- 
room, the cedar drawing-room, the gilt drawing-room, the 
State bed-room, and the boudoir. These apartments are all fur- 
nished in the most sumptuous manner; the walls decorated with 
costly paintings, among which is the celebrated picture of Igna- 
tius Loyola, the founder of the Order of the Jesuits, a portrait 
of Mrs. Scott Siddons, one of Henry VIII., by Holbein, and a 
life-size portrait of Charles I., by Vandyke. Prominent among 
the statuary, is the bust of the goddess Proserpina, by our Amer- 
ican sculptor, Hiram Powers, and a magnificent bust of the 
Black Prince, son of Edward III., by Chantrey. The pure an- 
tique furniture throughout the whole suite of State rooms is 
matchless; handsome mosaic tables, one valued at fifty thousand 
dollars, superb cabinets, Etruscan vases, rare and beautiful 
clocks, one with twelve curious and highly-finished pink enamels, 
one to each hour, set in silver, representing events in the life of 
Christ; precious caskets, rare chinas and crystals, and antiques 



WARWICK. 191 

of all descriptions scattered everywhere, yet displaying the 
greatest taste in arrangement. The bed and furniture in the 
State bedroom are of crimson velvet, and formerly belonged to 
Queen Anne; her full-length portrait also adorns the room. 

The chapel where the family assembles every morning for 
prayers is rich but plain. The altar piece is of carved oak; and 
the windows are of stained glass. From here we walked to St. 
Mary's church, where in the Beauchamp chapel is a monument 
to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester and his Countess Lettice, 
consisting of a heavy canopy profusely decorated and borne by 
Corinthian pillars; beneath which, enclosed by iron rails, are 
the recumbent figures of the earl and his wife. The earl is clad 
in armor, over which is a mantle bearing the badge of the Order 
of the Garter. The countess is dressed in the robes of a peeress, 
with a band of jewels around her head, and a ruffle of Queen 
Elizabeth's time. We found by reading the inscription on the 
monument, that he occupied the following positions of honor 
during his lifetime, and thought so many titles was enough to 
kill any man : Earl of Leicester, Baron of Denbigh, Knight 
both of the Order of the Garter and St. Michael, master of the 
horse to Queen Elizabeth, steward of the Queen's household, 
privy counsellor, justice in eyre of the forests, parks, chases, 
etc., lieutenant and captain general of the English army, sent 
by Queen Elizabeth to the Netherlands, governor general and 
commander of the provinces united in that place, and was 
lieutenant governor of England against Philip II. of Spain, in 
1588, when he died. 

At the church door we with our friends took a cab and were 
driven to Kenilworth, a distance of five miles. The scenery was 
charming all the way, and our driver anxious to give us all the 
information possible called our attention to everything of historic 
interest. We stopped opposite Guy's Cliff, a most romantic- 
spot, to admire the elegant mansion visible through the long 
avenue of overhanging trees. We drove on a little distance and 
then alighted from our carriage ; and passing by an old ruined 
mill we reached a rustic bridge across a pebbly stream, shaded 



I92 KENILWORTH CASTLE. 

with leafy trees, from which we had another fine view of Guy's 
Cliff. We drove on and our attention was soon directed to a 
monument on Blacklow Hill, erected on the spot where Piers 
Gaveston, Earl of Cornwall, was beheaded. We passed many 
beautiful residences, wreathed with ivy, adorned with flowers and 
foliage, so characterestic of English homes. 

We soon reached Kenilworth and entered the castle walls. What 
a contrast between the splendid magnificence of Warwick and the 
deserted ruins of Kenilworth, with nothing but the walls remain- 
ing, yet the thrifty, large-leafed ivy clings to it fondly as if 
seeking to hide its decrepitude and cover its unsightliness with 
her mantle of green in kindly remembrance of her former 
greatness. And yet these gray old towers, made illustrious by 
Scott's Kenilworth, attract more visitors annually than many of 
her more favored sisters. No sooner does the visitor catch sight 
of these venerable walls than the celebrated visit of Queen 
Elizabeth in 1575, the sorrowful tale of Amy Robsart's wrongs, 
Robert Dudley's unfaithfulness, and Varney's villainy, crowd 
upon the mind in quick succession. Let me quote from Walter 
Scott, where Queen Elizabeth approached the castle in all her 
pomp and glory, attended by her grand retinue : " The splendid 
procession advanced along the avenue that led to the Gallery 
Tower, lined on either hand by the retainers of the Earl of Lei- 
cester. Onward came the cavalcade, illuminated by two hun- 
dred thick waxen torches, in the hands of as many horsemen, 
which cast a light like that of broad day all around the 
procession, but especially upon the principal group, of which 
the Queen herself, arrayed in the most splendid manner, and 
blazing with jewels, formed the central figure. She was mounted 
on a milk-white horse, which she reined with peculiar grace and 
dignity, and in the whole of her stately and noble carriage you 
saw the daughter of a hundred kings. The ladies of the court, 
who rode beside Her Majesty, had so arrayed themselves that no 
inferior luminary might appear to approach the orbit of royalty. 
Her favorite, Leicester, who glittered like a golden image with 
jewels and cloth of gold, rode on her right on a black charger." 



CHATSWORTH ESTATE. 193 

Enough of Caesar's tower is still standing to tell of its former 
immensity and strength; and a portion of Mervyn's tower re- 
mains. The latter is the one in which Amy Robsart was con- 
cealed during the visit of the Queen. We climbed the stone 
staircase to its summit, and there, seated on a remnant of the 
wall, looked about over these ruins. Adjoining Mervyn's tower 
was the great banqueting hall; the windows of lofty height are 
filled with tracery and transomed. , The space of wall between 
them is paneled, and the fire-places on each side still bear traces 
of exquisite ornamentation. 

After spying out each nook and corner, we bade our friend 
good-bye and took train for Manchester. We passed through 
the large manufacturing city of Birmingham, and reached Man- 
chester late in the evening. It is a large manufacturing city 
also, full of smoke, people, and cart-loads of cotton cloth. Mr. 
Culler spent the next morning in hunting up and calling upon 
an uncle and aunt of one of our Newton bankers, to whom he 
carried messages from their kin across the sea, and found them 
hospitable, pleasant and courteous. I wisely occupied the time 
in resting, and at three in the afternoon we pursued our journey 
as far as Hassop station. 

The next day we, with several others, went in a large excur- 
sion wagon a distance of about three miles to the Chatsworth 
estate, owned by the Duke of Devonshire. This is the largest 
and finest estate in England, being eleven miles in circumfer- 
ence. In the lovely park were hundreds of sleek cattle and tame 
deer beneath the broad low branches of the beech trees, and lazy 

sheep 

" Nipping grass and daisies white 
From the morning till the night.'" 

As we approached the Chatsworth house, we passed a small stone 
structure in which Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned at 
intervals for twelve years. There used to be an underground 
passage connecting this prison with the old ancestral mansion of 
the Cavendishes. The entrance to this princely mansion, built 
of cream-colored sandstone, beautifully veined, is by the Por- 



194 CHATSWORTH ESTATE. 

ter's Lodge, a structure forming three archways, ornamented 
with carved roses and having large iron gates. The length of 
the palace is five hundred and fifty-seven feet, and its architecture 
is of the Ionic style. We entered the Sub-hall, the ceiling of 
which is embellished with a copy of Guido's Aurora, the general 
conception of which is in the highest degree poetical. The 
figure of Apollo, seated in his chariot drawn by fiery steeds, 
unites grace with dignity. He is attended by figures represent- 
ing the Hours, whose actions are playful and simple, and the 
expression of their faces sweet and lovely. The figure of Aurora 
flying before and strewing flowers in his pathway seems buoyant 
as the morning breeze itself. The Great Hall is a spacious 
apartment, with a mosaic floor of white and black marble, and 
its wall and ceiling paintings represent the history of Julius 
Caesar. In the centre of the room is a very handsome fossil 
marble table, and on the floor is a long ornamental canoe, pre- 
sented to the late Duke of Devonshire by the Sultan of Turkey. 
A corridor, beautified with statuary, paintings, antique and 
historical objects, leads to the chapel, which is exceedingly 
handsome, having a marble floor, walls of cedar wood bordered 
with garlands of roses delicately carved from wood, and further 
ornamented with paintings illustrating scenes in the life of 
Christ, and the pure altar of white Derbyshire spars and marble 
is accompanied with graceful figures of Faith and Hope. One 
room contains more than one thousand original drawings and 
sketches by the most distinguished masters of the Flemish, 
Venetian, Spanish, French and Italian schools. The old State 
bedroom contains the bed in which George II. died, and the 
chairs and footstools used at the coronation of George III. and 
Queen Charlotte. The State Music Room contains a splendid 
cabinet of minerals, fossils, fluor and calcareous spars, etc., and 
an emerald said to be '• the finest specimen of its kind for purity 
of form and uniform depth of color." It was purchased by the 
sixth Duke of Devonshire from Dom Pedro, Emperor of Brazil. 
This room is elaborately ornamented with paintings, portraits, 
miniatures in porcelain, handsome mosaic tables, and rare china 



CHATSWORTH ESTATE. 1 95 

of various and striking designs. The State Drawing Room is 
also fitted up beautifully, the decorations and appointments 
including many costly works of art. One table of mosaic work 
composed of different colored precious stones is indescribably 
beautiful. Here is also a most excellent full-length portrait of 
Mary Queen of Scots. The Library rooms are wonderful ! In 
elegant book-cases are the rarest literary treasures, handsomely 
bound, consisting of twenty five thousand volumes, and many 
valuable illuminated manuscripts. The Dining Room is orna- 
mented in the most gorgeous manner, and in the centre is a table 
which will seat fifty persons. We next passed into the Sculpture 
Gallery, which is one hundred and three feet long, and is 
beautifully lighted by skylights. It contains forty fine pieces of 
sculpture, placed upon costly pedestals and pillars. Adjoining it 
is the orangery, where we saw trees laden with the golden fruit. 
We then took a walk through the immense gardens, which 
take sixty men to attend to them. We were very fortunate in 
being there that day, as the Earl of Rutland with a small party 
were guests at the mansion, and all the fountains were playing 
for their special benefit. The French garden is gay with bril- 
liant flower-beds, lovely walks, creeping vines, statuary and 
superb vases. We came in sight of an artificial cascade, which 
is situated on a sloping hillside. On the top of the hill is a 
stone temple adorned with sea-lions and dolphins, and when the 
water is turned on at this point, it flows over a long series of 
broad stone steps reaching from the top to the bottom of the 
hill, thus producing a picturesque cascade; its flood of water 
being conveyed under the garden to the Dervvent river. Its 
beauty is enhanced by a line of stately trees on either side. We 
walked on until we reached what appeared to be a romantic 
valley in a natural forest, surrounded with high cliffs and rocks 
and secluded retreats. But what was our surprise when told that 
all this is artificial ! That high towering cliff is made of stone 
laid together with mortar, and creeping vines ingeniously planted 
in the crevices, to cover the deception. The immense boulders 
which lie scattered around promiscuously, have all been placed 



196 HADDON HALL. 

here by the hand of man. We entered a grotto, formed of huge 
rocks, and when about to retrace our steps, the attendant 
placed his hand on a large boulder which blocks up the end of 
the grotto, and turned it around on a pivot, thus allowing the 
party to pass through. We soon came to a weeping willow 
which the attendant declared was always moist. We were look- 
ing at it intently, not noticing that our guide had slipped from 
us, when suddenly from every sprig and leaf came a shower ot 
water. We found upon close inspection that the tree is made of 
copper; but so skillfully done as to resemble a natural tree. 
Passing through an archway of rocks we found ourselves in an 
open garden, in the centre of which is a grand conservatory. 
This large glass-house covers nearly an acre of ground. It is 
filled with the rarest and choicest plants, flowers and trees, from 
Europe, Asia, Africa and America. Here we saw the citron 
tree filled with its delicious fruit; banana, orange and palm 
trees growing as luxuriantly as if in a tropical clime. There are 
thirty green- houses in all. The grandest of the fountains is 
called the Emperor. It sends up the water with great force to a 
height of two hundred and sixty feet, forming a grand spectacle. 
Further on we came to an oak tree planted by Queen Victoria 
in 1832, a sycamore tree planted by the Prince Consort in 1843, 
and a Spanish chestnut tree planted by the Emperor Alexandria 
of Russia in 1S16. We strolled through the Italian garden, 
adorned with choice cedars and artistic parterres of flowers, 
arranged after the fashion of sunny Italy, and finally reached 
the archway through which we had first entered, scarcely able to 
believe that all this wealth belonged to one man. Whereupon 
we were told that he owned two other estates besides, and only 
spends a few months of the year here. 

In the churchyard of the little village of Edensor, not far distant, 
we found the grave of Lord Frederick Cavendish, the second son 
of the present Duke of Devonshire, interred here May n, 1882. 
He was appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland on May 4, and 
was cruelly assassinated two days later in Phoenix Park, Dublin. 
We again entered our carriage and were off for Haddon Hall, 



YORK CATHEDRAL. 



197 



the property of the Duke of Rutland. Its exterior presents a 
most imposing and picturesque appearance, with its massive 
walls, embattled parapets and towers wreathed with ivy, rising 
majestically above the surrounding hills, studded with trees. 
But the interior has been shorn of its glory for nearly a hundred 
years ; for at the beginning of the last century this old mansion 
ceased to be the family residence, and was abandoned for the 
more magnificent castle of Belvoir. There are still a few traces 
of its former grandeur in the faded, decaying tapestry in some 
of the rooms, and in the wood carvings and armorial bearings in 
its bay windows. It serves as a memorial of the olden time, and 
is said to be "one of the most perfect examples in England of 
an old baronial mansion of the feudal ages." We climbed to 
the top of its highest tower, from which we had another of those 
pretty landscape views for which England is so celebrated. 

At Hassop we took the train for York, reaching there late in 
the evening. We passed through the town of Sheffield, noted 
for its steel and cutlery works. Next morning we went to see 
the grand cathedral of York, whose foundation was laid in 1291. 
Its west front has two uniform towers one hundred and ninety- 
six feet high, surmounted by eight pinnacles. The Lantern 
tower is situated near the middle of the building, and is square, 
plain and massive. The length of this superb edifice is five 
hundred and twenty-four feet. It is composed of five different 
styles of Gothic architecture. The interior consists of a nave 
and aisles, transepts, choir and side aisles, the Lady Chapel and 
Chapter House. It was a grand sight as we stood near the cen- 
tral entrance of the nave and looked up the long vista of pillars, 
seven on either side, forming eight pointed Gothic arches, the 
eye taking in a portion of the central tower, the organ screen, 
surmounted by the organ, and above it rising the great east 
window. The screen separates the choir from the nave, and is 
of stone, ornamented with statues of the kings of England, 
from William the Conqueror to Henry VI., in royal costumes, 
each bearing the name and time of reign. The vaulting is of 
wood, the ribs or groins of which form a delicate tracery, and 



198 YORK CATHEDRAL. 

are adorned with carved knots. The pillars are quite plain, but 
the capitals are highly ornamented. The cathedral is remark- 
able for its rich stained-glass windows. In the south transept 
the windows are in three tiers, and the large circular one at the 
top, called the marigold window, twenty-seven feet in diameter, 
is particularly beautiful. At the end of the north transept is 
also a handsome window divided into five lights, called the five 
sisters, because it was given to the church by five sisters, 
who themselves made the pattern for it in embroidery. The 
colors are very subdued, the general effect being that of olive 
green, although there are many colors intermingled, and a 
rich velvety tinge pervades the whole. The choir is unusually 
large and much more ornamented than the rest of the building, 
the wood' carving of the stalls being very elaborate. The side 
aisles of the choir and Lady's Chapel are filled with monuments. 
The noble east window back of the choir is considered the finest 
in the entire edifice. It is seventy-five feet high and thirty-two 
broad, and consists of about two hundred divisions with delinea- 
tions of the leading events of sacred history. The figures are a 
little more than two feet high, and are beautifully executed. 
The upper part of the window is divided from the lower by a 
stone gallery. It is so high up and the window is so large that 
to a person standing on the floor it looks like the centre piece of 
a common window-sash, but we were informed by the verger that 
fifty people could stand in it. In the crypt we were shown the 
remains of Norman and Saxon churches, over which the present 
structure had been built, such as pillars, beautiful mouldings and 
groined vaultings. The Chapter House is octagonal, having 
seven of its sides occupied with splendid stained-glass windows. 
The ceiling is exceedingly handsome, but it would take an 
architect to describe it, the workmanship is so very elaborate, and 
is supported without pillars. Forty-four stalls of the finest 
marble are arranged around it, with canopies supported by 
slender columns, having elegantly carved capitals, in some of 
which are representations of leaves, animals and men in antic 
postures, some crying, others laughing. On one capital is an old 



EDINBURGH. 199 

friar kissing a young nun ; and on the capitals near by are 
several figures of nuns, laughing at the loving couple. Tradi- 
tion informs us that over the doors to this Chapter House stood 
thirteen figures of solid silver, about a foot in height, represent- 
ing the twelve apostles and the virgin Mary, the latter being two 
feet high ; and Oliyer Cromwell ordered them to be taken down 
and melted into money, so that it might go about doing good. 
Of course Mr. Culler ascended the Lantern tower, and of 
course I didn't. 

At three o'clock in the the afternoon we started for Edinburgh 
and arrived there between eight and nine in the evening. We 
took the East Coast railway line, and the greater part of the 
way could look across the water of the North Sea, dotted with 
vessels and boats. As night drew near, the sun modestly sought 
to hide himself behind the distant hills on our left, while his 
beams tinged the great pile of fleecy clouds with gold and pur- 
ple, as they appeared to rest on the bosom of the water. 



CHAPTER IX. 

Our first day in Edinburgh was the Sabbath. We attended 
the College Street United Presbyterian church in the morning. 
In the afternoon my husband went to St. George's Free church, 
and in the evening to the Dublin Street Baptist church. This city 
is remarkable for its church-going people. Everybody goes to 
church, rain or shine. They are not so afraid of being drowned 
or melted, or even sprinkled with rain, as people in America. 
They always expect rain, and go prepared for it, even if the sun 
does shine. The church pews have an umbrella-holder attached ; 
and rain would be the last thing that would keep them from 
church. I think the spark of divine grace must be very feeble in 
a person when a few drops of rain will put it out. Omnibuses and 
street cars in Europe have seats on top where ladies as well as 
gentlemen ride, when they wish to obtain a good view. One 
day we rode in this manner about the city, and were much 
pleased with Edinburgh. It has many magnificent buildings, 
fine private residences, imposing churches, delightful gardens 
and parks, and almost every foot of it is historical. Here is 
where John Knox, the reformer, lived and labored ; where 
Walter Scott's Heart of Midlothian was located ; and where 
Mary Queen of Scots held her brief, but stormy reign. As 
early as 854 Edinburgh was quite a village. It now has a popu- 
lation of more than two hundred thousand. A sort of ravine 
separates the old town from the new, which is traversed by rail- 
road tracks. The Mound, a large embankment, connects the two 
parts of the city, its descending slopes transformed into flower 
gardens. Upon this mound is the Gallery of Fine Arts, and 
the Royal Institution. The old town is the most picturesque 
and historical. Its principal street stretching from Holyrood 
Palace up to the castle is a mile in length, its various portions 

( 200) 



EDINBURGH. 201 

called the Lawnmarket, the High Street and Canongate. This 
street has as many as one hundred closes, miniature streets, some 
of them not more than four or five feet wide, running at right 
angles to the main street. They were built as defences against 
the invasions of the Highlanders, and could formerly be closed 
by means of portcullises. The old town has also the picturesque 
old Castle, lofty Arthur's Seat, Salisbury Crags, Holyrood 
Palace, and the Queen's drive around the base of the hills. 
The new town slopes to the sea, and its finest street is Princes 
street, ornamented with Walter Scott's magnificent monument. 

Taken as a whole, Edinburgh is a most beautiful city, with 
its handsome buildings, of gray sandstone ; its wide, clean, well 
paved streets; its handsome squares; elegant monuments, ten in 
number ; its terraces ; the Castle perched upon its rocky emi- 
nence ; hills, crags, and blue stretch of water. It is noted for its 
seminaries of learning, possessing stimulants for the intellect, and 
many advantages for studying the fine arts. We ascended Calton 
Hill, a high rocky eminence, rising abruptly from the heart of the 
city, where we could look all over Edinburgh and far out on the 
water. Here is Nelson's monument, a lofty, massive, circular tower 
used as a time signal, which looks more like a light house than a 
monument. On the flag staff, a large ball is rigged, which, moved 
by machinery adjusted to the observatory, drops every day at 
one o'clock, Greenwich time. Just opposite is a square Grecian 
monument in remembrance of Prof. Playfair, a noted philoso- 
pher; also a monument to Dugald Stewart; and an unfinished 
national monument, intended to be a copy of the Panthenon at 
Athens, and a memorial to the Scots who fell in the Napoleonic 
wars. Twelve pillars stand on a foundation ; this is all and 
nothing more. It was never completed. 

Further down the hill is a monument to Robert Burns, a sort 
of Grecian temple, surrounded by twelve polished marble pillars. 
Within is an interesting collection of relics : letters written by 
the poet, some of his poems, a marble apple, perfect and true 
to nature in form and coloring, presented to his brother's wife 
at her wedding, two paintings representing the story of Tam O' 
Shanter and the Witches, and many other things. 



202 EDINBURGH. 

At the foot of Calton Hill is the old Calton burying-ground. 
Here we saw the Martyrs' Monument, an obelisk erected in 1845 
to the memory of several persons who were banished for advo- 
cating Parliamentary Reform ; and also a round tower in which 
is the grave of David Hume, the historian. Although he was an 
infidel, over his tomb are these words : 

"Behold, I come quickly. Thanks be to God, which givfcth 
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 

Early one morning, after a substantial breakfast, feeling vigor- 
ous in body and fresh in mind, we climbed up to the top of 
Arthur's Seat, so called because from this eminence King Arthur 
looked down upon the scene of his victory over the Saxons. In 
making the ascent, we passed the ruins of St. Anthony's Chapel, 
and also a well by the same name, a little below the chapel, 
where we took a good, cool draught from the spring whose 
overflow helps to supply the artificial St. Margaret's Loch. 
When perched on an irregular mass of rocks, which caps the 
climax, eight hundred and twenty-two feet above the sea level, 
we had a magnificent panoramic view of Edinburgh, which 
repaid all our toil of climbing ; and here, away up here, were 
two table-cloths, spread on the ground, covered with cakes, buns, 
lemonade, ginger-ade, etc. And two women presided over 
these funny little refreshment stalls. From this point of view a 
small low cottage was pointed out to us as the one in which 
Jeanie Deans (Helen Walker) used to live; and over there, the 
Salisbury Crags form a beautiful picture with their sharp peaks 
distinctly outlined against the sky. We bought some excellent 
ginger-snaps, which gave us sufficient snap to descend this gigan- 
tic hill in a lively manner, and were soon at Holyrood Palace, 
which is situated near the foot. 

It is a grand quadrangular structure, with a double battle- 
mented tower on each end of the front. In the centre is the 
grand entrance, ornamented with four Doric columns on each 
side, and above are carved the royal arms of Scotland. It was 
founded by James IV. in 1501. A portion of it is fitted up 
sumptuously as the royal apartments, as Queen Victoria and the 



EDINBURGH. 203 

royal family make it their stopping-place on the way to the 
Queen's castle, at Balmoral, in the north of Scotland. We im- 
mediately ascended to the picture gallery, a large room filled 
with fictitious pictures of both fabulous and reputed kings of 
Scotland, painted in 16S4. Lord Darnley's rooms contain sev- 
eral portraits, one of himself when a child, and the walls are 
hung with tapestry covered with trees, leaves, Cupids and land- 
scapes. Another flight of stairs brought us to Mary Queen of 
Scots' apartments. The first is called the audience chamber, 
the ceiling^of which is ornamented with armorial bearings, and 
the walls are hung with very old tapestry, dropping to pieces 
with age. Here is an ancient bed, with old gold silk drapery, 
said to have been occupied by Charles I. while stopping at the 
palace; and some handsome embroidered chairs. This is the 
room where John Knox had many warm discussions with this 
most beautiful Queen, each contending for their faith. The ad- 
joining apartment is Queen Mary's bed-room, twenty-two by 
eighteen feet. Her bed is just as it was three hundred years ago, 
excepting that old Father Time has stolen the richness of color 
from the crimson damask hangings and beautifully wrought silk 
counterpane. They are slowly mouldering away, and look so 
light and porous that a breath of air might blow them to pieces. 
A small bit of moth-eaten blanket lies on the pillow. Here are 
her old-fashioned, high, straight-backed chairs, and the baby- 
linen basket sent her by Queen Elizabeth. Portraits of Henry 
VIII., Queen Elizabeth, and Mary herself, adorn the walls. At 
the southwest corner of this room is a door leading ,into her 
dressing-room, which is only about ten feet square, and hung 
with faded tapestry. On the north side of the bed-room are two 
doors close together; one opens on a private staircase, and the 
other leads into a very small room twelve feet square, in which 
Queen Mary used to take her tea, called a supper-room. In this 
room is a block of marble, brought hither from the chapel, on 
which Mary and Lord Darnley knelt when they were married. 
In a glass case are pieces of the old decayed tapestry which 
formerly covered the walls. History tells us that on the night 



204 EDINBURGH. 

of March 9, 1566, the murderers of David Rizzio (the Queen's 
foreign secretary) ascended to the royal apartments by this pri- 
vate staircase, entered the supper-room, dragged the ill-fated 
Rizzio from behind the Queen, to whose skirts he clung for pro- 
tection, through the bed-room and audience chamber, during 
which he received more than fifty wounds, and was at last killed 
at the head of the stairs by the daggers of the Earl of Morton, 
Lord Ruthven, Lord Lindsay, and several others. There he lay 
weltering in his blood for some time; and large dark spots, 
whether occasioned by his blood or not, were pointed out to us, 
which stain that part of the floor. Scarcely anything but the 
walls and a few pillars remain of the chapel in which Charles I. 
was crowned, James L, II., III., and Queen Mary and Darnley 
were married; and where James II. and V. and Lord Darnley 
are buried. 

Leaving Holyrood, we walked up High Street, so full of his- 
torical interest, formerly the residence of the nobility, but now 
occupied by the lowest classes. The houses preserve their an- 
tique appearance, with peaks and gables and outside stairs. 
Parsing many closes now filled with squalor and filth and vile 
perfumes, we came to Canongate Church. Dr. Hugh Blair, 
whose rhetoric is used in many of our colleges, used to preach 
here. In the churchyard we found the tombstones of Dr. Adam 
Ferguson, historian of the Roman Republic, Adam Smith, the 
author of "The Wealth of Nations," and Dugald Stewart, Pro- 
fessor of Moral Philosophy. 

A little further up the street we reached Canongate Tolbooth, 
which used to be the court-house and jail of the burgh, and was 
built in the time of James VI. It has a tower and spire, flanked 
by two turrets in front, and between these turrets a large clock 
projects over the street, bearing this motto, " Sic itur ad astra" 
(this is the way to the stars). This is not the Tolbooth referred 
to in Scott's novel. 

We next saw Moray's house, with its old balcony, made his- 
torical by the following occurrence : 

"On the thirteenth of May, 1650, the marriage of the Earl 



EDINBURGH. 205 

of Moray's eldest daughter took place, and during this merry 
festival the great Marquis of Montrose was dragged a prisoner 
up the Canongate street ; and it is said that the wedding party so 
far forgot their dignity as to step out on this old stone balcony 
that overhangs the street, to gaze on the degradation of their 
fallen enemy, who was hanged two days after." 

Passing on, we came to the house of John Knox, the reformer, 
one of the oldest houses in Edinburgh. He lived here thirteen 
years, and died here in 1572, at the age of sixty-seven. On the 
front of the house, in large letters, is the following inscription : 

" Lufe God abufe al and yi nychtbour as yi self." 

The first floor is occupied by shops, the case with all the 
houses on this street. We ascended to the second floor by a 
flight of stairs on the outside of the street, and entered a large 
room with a window facing the street, from which John Knox 
often addressed an audience in the street below; also the room 
was filled with people during the preaching, and is, therefore, 
called his audience-room. On the third floor is his bed-room, 
sitting-room, and little study, the latter in the corner of the 
building, with a window on each side. It is about four by eight 
feet in size, with a small cupboard for books. The panes of 
glass in the windows are the smallest I ever saw. In this study 
is a funny little old chair, which is the only thing in the house 
that belonged to John Knox. But in the sitting-room and bed- 
room are several pictures of him and a bust, also several old and 
interesting books. In this quaint and old-fashioned house John 
Knox wrote his History of the Reformation. 

Still walking on, we came to St. Giles Cathedral, a massive 
Gothic structure in the form of a cross. We entered and found 
that the whole interior was being restored. It was built about 
1214, but at the time of the Reformation it was divided into four 
separate places of worship. They are now tearing down all the 
partitions-, scraping off the plaster from the stone vaulting, and 
revealing the handsome original stone-work. It is henceforth 
to be used by one congregation — the Established Church of 
Scotland. In the crypt we were shown the tombs of Regent 



2o6 EDINBURGH. 

Moray and the Marquis of Montrose. John Knox used to 
preach in this church, and we were shown the place where his 
pulpit stood ; and this is the church where Jenny Geddes hurled 
her stool at the head of the Dean of Edinburgh, in 1637, upon 
his attempt to introduce the Liturgical Service. At the north- 
west corner of St. Giles Cathedral, on the stone sidewalk, is the 
figure of a heart made with stones shaped like bricks, which 
marks the site of the old Tolbooth, the "Heart of Midlothian," 
as it was called, and which has been immortalized in Walter 
Scott's novel of the same name. 

Just back of St. Giles, in the open square between that build- 
ing and the Parliament House, is a small surface-bronzed stone 
in the ground with the initials J. K., indicating the spot where 
on November 26, 1572, John Knox was buried; and over his 
grave the Regent Morton pronounced this eulogy : " Here lies 
he who never feared the face of man." 

The last Parliament held in Edinburgh was in 1707, when the 
treaty of union between England and Scotland was ratified. 
The great hall in which the Parliament met, now used for the 
sitting of the courts, is one hundred and twenty-two feet long, 
and forty feet wide. It has a pendant oak roof springing from a 
series of exquisitely sculptured corbels of different designs. The 
windows are of stained glass; the walls covered with fine paint- 
ings of distinguished statesmen and lawyers who have been con- 
nected with the Scottish bar, and a row of marble statues and 
busts of distinguished personages also ornament the room. 
Adjoining are two fine libraries, one containing two hundred 
thousand printed volumes, and the other sixty thousand. 

From here we walked to the castle. On the esplanade in front 
of the castle, more than three hundred feet square, the soldiers 
were drilling before a military inspector. We watched them for 
some time and admired their uniformity of movement, and the 
dexterity with which they handled their weapons. Their uniform 
of red jackets, white belts, dark plaid pants, and small caps, is 
very pretty, but must make conspicuous targets for their enemies. 
The castle, situated on the summit of a stupendous rock, more 



EDINBURGH. 207 

than four hundred feet above the level of the sea, is the most 
prominent object in all views of the city. It is a massive struc- 
ture, very plain in architecture, but a strong fortress. Its only 
approach is through this open square, which I have mentioned. 
Passing the outer barrier we entered the fortress itself by a draw- 
bridge which spans a deep moat. Beyond this is the guard- 
house, and still higher up is the portcullis gate. Finally we 
reached the citadel or highest platform of the castle, and were 
shown the apartments which visitors are allowed to enter. The 
Crown-room contains the ancient regalia of Scotland. It con- 
sists of a crown set with diamonds and precious stones, sceptre 
and sword of state, also the royal jewels studded with diamonds. 
The last monarch crowned with this diadem was Charles II. 
In this room is a large, oaken, iron-bound chest, in which these 
treasures were locked up and forgotten for more than one hun- 
dred years. We next entered the room in which Queen Mary 
gave birth to James I. of England, June 19, 1566. The room 
is very small and irregular, it being only eight feet long. On 
the wall is the following inscription, in old fashioned letters and 
spelling: 

" Lord Jesus Christ, that crownit was with Thornse 
Preserve the Birth, quhais Badgie heir in borne 
And send Hir Sonne successione, to Reigne still 
Long in this Realme. if that it be thy will, 
Als grant, O Lord, qubat eber of Hir proceed. 
Be to thy Honer, and Praise Sobied. 

19th IVNII, 1566." 

From the window of this room the baby king was let down to 
the street, in a basket attached to a rope, and secretly taken to 
Stirling Castle to be baptized in the Roman Catholic faith. In 
the room through which you pass to the above-described room, 
is a very handsome painting of Queen Mary, when she was only 
eighteen years old, and also a good one when older. The queer 
little Norman chapel is the oldest part of the castle, having stood 
for eight hundred years. Opposite, on the King's Bastion, is a 
large cannon, called Mons Meg, used by James IV. in the siege 



208 EDINBURGH. 

of Dumbarton in 1489. The view from the bastion is very 
pretty on a clear day. Just below, is the beautiful park with its 
shaven lawn and lovely flower beds; the rich monuments in 
which Edinburgh abounds, elegant buildings, church spires, and 
beyond, the Frith of Forth, with its surface enlivened with boats 
and vessels. Below the castle, to the left as you approach it, is 
a spacious street, called Grass Market, which for centuries was 
the place of public execution ; but a weekly market has been 
held here since 1477. Cowgate street used to be a fashionable 
and romantic garden suburb, on the slopes of which stood the 
mansions of the noble and wealthy ; now it is filled with the 
lowest classes, and is anything but an agreeable place. 

The Royal Institution, a building of Grecian architecture has 
a small Antiquarian Museum on the first floor containing a few 
relics from every country in the world ; many of them curious 
and interesting. John Knox's pulpit which he used in St. Giles 
church is here, and also Jenny Geddes' stool which she hurled at 
the head of the Dean of St. Giles. The upper floor is occupied 
by a Sculpture Gallery, in which are casts of the celebrated 
statues of antiquity. Just at the rear of this building is the 
National Picture Gallery, consisting of two ranges of galleries, 
lighted from the roof only. In one, the Royal Scottish Acad- 
emy has its annual exhibition of works by living artists, the 
other range contains the permanent collection. Here are speci- 
mens of the Flemish, Dutch, and French Schools of the six- 
teenth and htventeenth centuries ; the Italian, Venetian, Geno- 
ese, Florentine and Scottish Schools. A copy of the Crucifixion, 
by Rubens, is here, also a copy of Raphael's Transfiguration; 
several pretty Scottish landscapes with ruined castles and moun- 
tain heights ; and many other pleasing pictures. 

The National Museum is the largest public building in Scot- 
land, being four hundred feet long and two hundred feet wide. 
It consists of a series of courts opening into a great hall. It 
has a circular glass roof and two rows of galleries. The Great 
Hall contains models and specimens of architecture, civil and 
military engineering, and collateral arts; the first gallery above, 



MFLROSE ABBEY. 2O0 

glass, pottery, porcelain, ornamental metal work, wood-carving, 
etc. ; and the upper gallery, specimens of food, raw products, 
etc. The Natural History Hall has on the ground floor a gen- 
eral collection of mammalia ; the first gallery, birds, shells, etc. ; 
upper gallery, reptiles and fishes, where we saw the skeleton of a 
whale seventy-nine feet long. The ground floor of the South 
Hall contains models illustrating metallurgy, various manufac- 
tures from metals, pottery and glass ; the first gallery contains 
specimens and models illustrating the material and processes of 
manufacturing hemp, linen, cotton, wool, silk; also manufactures 
from ivory, bone, shells, hair, feathers, and almost everything 
else ; upper gallery illustrates Chemistry and Philosophy ; and 
another called the North East Room, contains an ethnological 
collection. 

Walter Scott's Monument on Princes Street is an elegantly 
carved stone structure, two hundred feet high. It is in the form 
of an open Gothic spire, supported by four early English arches, 
forming a canopy, beneath which is a statue of Sir Walter Scott, 
in a sitting posture, with his favorite dog Maida at his feet. It 
was erected in 1840, and cost about seventy-five thousand dollars. 
In the niches above the arches are figures representing the prin- 
cipal characters in his novels and poems, such as the Lady of the 
Lake, Rob Roy, the Last Minstrel, Prince Charles, etc. A stair- 
case in one of the columns leads to a series of galleries, which 
we had sense enough not to ascend. Early one morning we 
went by train to Melrose, a short distance, to see the Abbey. 
It is a grand old ruin, a thing of the past, the roof overgrown 
with grass and weeds ; and yet enough remains from which to 
trace its former splendor. The present Abbey was built by 
Robert I., and from then down to Cromwell's time it was 
besieged, battered and burned, until reduced to its present ruin- 
ous condition. The front part of the Abbey is totally destroyed, 
not a vestige of it to be seen except the side chapels, which 
formed the outer portion of the side aisles. The first three 
have been roofless for ages, but the others are still good. The 
organ screen crosses the nave on a line with the division of the 
14 



2IO MELROSE ABBEY. 

fifth and sixth chapels, and from there to the transepts, the 
entire Abbey is well roofed. The aisles have the original 
groined roof; but the nave has a roof of common masonry ; 
that part having been fitted up for a Presbyterian place of wor- 
ship in 1618. Here and there throughout this old ruin remain 
portions of beautiful carving. The capitals of some of the pil- 
lars are exquisite ! One especially fine is carved to represent the 
curly greens or kale, and is so delicately chiseled as to resemble 
a beautiful pattern of lace. The transepts are open to the blue 
sky. The ornamentation around the door and window of the 
south transept are in complete preservation. Above this win- 
dow rises the small bell tower, containing an old bell, which we 
heard strike the hour of one. It seemed like a voice from the 
tomb to hear this bell dolefully break the silence in this old 
mouldering ruin, surrounded by marble slabs which mark the 
resting place of many dead. Near the bell is a quaint rickety 
wooden clock-dial. In the north transept is a round window 
wrought so as to represent the crown of thorns; and here are 
statues of St. Peter and St. Paul, high up on the wall ; and a 
delicately carved hand, lightly grasping a bunch of flowers 
forms the bracket for supporting the groins of the roof. In a 
corner of the Abbey near the chancel is the grave of the famous 
wizard Michael Scott, according to the Lay of the Last Minstrel. 
Somebody is evidently buried there. But the most interesting 
part of this structure is the chancel ; for here a small stone 
marks the spot where the heart of Robert Bruce is said to be 
buried. The roof of the chancel is handsomely carved, and its 
" East Window" with its delicate tracery is the one immortalized 
by Walter Scott in these lines : 

" The moon on the east oriel shone 
Through slender shafts of shapely stone, 
By foliaged tracery combined ; 
Thou wouldst have thought some fairy's hand, 
'Twixt poplars straight, the osier wand 
In many a freakish knot had twined; 
Then framed a spell, when the work was done, 
And changed the willow wreaths to stone." 



ABBOTSFORD. 211 

Through a door in the north aisle we entered the space for- 
merly occupied by the cloisters ; now nothing exists but the 
walls, the seats and false Gothic arches which covered them. 
The roof is a minus quantity. The stone carving around the 
walls in the form of roses, lilies, thistles, oak and fern leaves, is 
admirable ! On the corner of one of the walls is the figure of an 
angel supposed to be flying away with a message from the church, 
and a few feet from it is the head of a negro grinning from ear 
to ear. Whether one has any connection with the history of the 
other, I am unable to state. We engaged a carriage and were 
driven to Abbotsford, the home of Walter Scott, a distance of 
about three miles. Scott's great-granddaughter now occupies 
this elegant mansion, "a romance of stone and lime," with cas- 
tellated turrets and lovely surroundings. We were first shown 
into the study, where we saw Scott's writing desk, and the very 
large, comfortable chair, covered with leather, in which he used 
to sit. In a niche is a bronze cast of Sir Walter, taken after 
death. He must have been exceedingly long-headed in every 
sense of the word. The library, an adjoining apartment, fifty 
by sixty feet, has a richly-carved ceiling in oak. The books 
arranged around the room in glass cases, reaching from the floor 
to the ceiling, are twenty thousand in number. And here is a 
fine marble bust of Scott, executed by Chantery, considered the 
best of all his likenesses; two handsomely carved elbow chairs, 
the gift of the Pope; and a writing desk, the gift of George 
III. In the Drawing Room, the woodwork is of cedar, and 
the walls are adorned with fine portrait paintings of Cardinal 
Wolsey, Dryden, and Walter Scott, and Mary Queen of 
Scots' head on a charger, painted an hour after her execution. 
I recognized it immediately, notwithstanding the face is deadly 
pale and very much swollen, though not distorted. In a glass 
case is a very handsome display of presents made to Scott, among 
which is a gold snuff-box, a silver one, and another of ebony set 
with diamonds; all indicating that that worthy gentleman must 
have been very fond of snuff. And here is the knife and fork 
he used when a small boy. We next passed into the Armory 



212 HAWTHORNDEN. 

which contained a large collection of weapons of war, suits of 
tilting armor, Lochaber axes, battle axes, the gun of Rob Roy, 
the pistol of Claverhouse, pistols taken from Napoleon's carriage 
after the battle of Waterloo ; and in a glass case, the last suit of 
clothes ever worn by Sir Walter Scott, even his shoes, light 
plush hat, and walking stick. 

An hour's ride brought us back to Edinburgh, and next morn- 
ing we took another short train ride to Hawthornden. 

The Lodge or Mansion, the home of the poet, Drummond, 
called the "classic Hawthornden," is built on a solid rock or 
cliff overhanging the Esk River ("where ford there was none"), 
which winds through a rocky channel thickly shaded with over- 
hanging trees. The oldest portion of the house is six hundred 
years old. One side of it is completely covered with ivy. Visit- 
ors (tourists) are not admitted to the house, which is owned by 
the Drummond family, but they are allowed to walk through the 
grounds. A tree called the three sisters is quite a curiosity. 
Three trees spring out of the ground from one place. They are 
five hundred years old. Ben Johnson walked all the way from 
London here to sit in " Drummond's classic shade." Chiseled 
out of the solid rock, upon which the house is built, are several 
low rooms not high enough for a tall person to stand upright in, 
where Robert Bruce, king of Scotland, is said to have hid for 
safety ; and also the redoubted Sir Alexander Ramsay and his 
followers, at another time. We passed through a long passage at 
the end of which is a very deep well. Through a small doorway 
we stepped into another room, which is called Robert Bruce' s 
library. There are small square places cut in the walls for each 
book. It lias a very small window, concealed from the outside 
by ivy, but the inside commands a view of the entire glen, 
through this net-work of leaves. Opposite this room is Robert 
Bruce's bed-room, without a ray of light excepting what steals 
in from the low doorway. I shuddered to think of spending a 
night in such a den. 

From here we walked about a mile and a half to Rosslyn 
Chapel, through a shady, romantic pathway along the bank of 



ROSSLYN CHAPEL. 213 

the winding Esk River, "one of the most beautiful and seques- 
tered spots in Scotland." 

At the western extremity of Hawthornden, we reached Ross- 
lvn Castle, situated on a bold, craggy peninsula, beneath which 
flows the Esk. It was built in the eleventh century, and all that 
now remains is a pile of mouldering ruins and three tiers of 
vaults or dungeons — in one of which Mary Queen of Scots hid 
for three weeks. 

We climbed up a long, tiresome hill, and reached the famous 
Rosslyn Chapel, but had to wait some little time before enter- 
ing, as a marriage in high life was taking place within. It was a 
pretty sight, looking for all the world as if it had just stepped 
out of a picture book, to see the bridal party walk from the 
chapel to the carriage, while a winsome child lavishly strewed 
beautiful flowers in their pathway; and truly the lovely bride 
in her fleecy robe, decked with orange blossoms, seemed fit to 
tread on roses. 

The chapel was founded in 1446, by William St. Clair, and 
was to be the chancel of a very large edifice, but for some 
reason the other part was never erected. It is quite small, only 
sixty-nine, feet long, thirty-five feet broad and forty feet high. It 
is divided into centre and side aisles by two rows of elaborately 
sculptured pillars, supporting beautifully decorated Gothic 
arches. There are thirteen different kinds of arches in the 
chapel, and each arch, pillar and window presents a different 
ornamentation of the most exquisite workmanship. Even on 
friezes in bass-relief, are representations of the Apostles feeding 
the hungry, clothing the naked and visiting the sick. The finest 
part of the building, however, is the Lady's Chapel. The 
groined roof is one mass of the most elaborate stone carving. 
One peculiarly beautiful pillar, ornamented with spiral festoons 
of delicately-carved leaves, giving it the appearance of a twisted 
column, is called the Apprentices' Pillar, on account of the story 
that the master builder thought it necessary to go to Rome to 
see the original of which this was to be a copy. During his ab- 
sence his apprentice executed the work so creditably that when 



214 STIRLING CASTLE. 

the master returned he, in a fit of jealousy, struck the apprentice 
on the head with a mallet and killed him. The windows are of 
stained glass. A new organ has lately been placed over the en- 
trance door. It is said of this chapel that "nowhere in the 
world will such wealth of architectural beauty and detail be 
found within so small a space." 

The next day we left Edinburgh about one o'clock, reaching 
Stirling in about an hour, and proceeded immediately to the 
Castle, passing through Greyfriars Churchyard, where among 
the monuments, we noticed an urn with a sun-dial on it, upon 
which is engraved : 

" I am a shadow, so art thou, 
I mark time : dost thou ? 

The Castle is situated on a precipitous rock, and commands 
one of the finest stretches of landscape. Our attendant took us 
to the best place of observation and pointed out many historical 
and interesting spots. The atmosphere was clear and bright (a 
rare thing for Scotland) and we could distinctly see Ben Lomond, 
Ben Venue, Ben A'an, Ben Ledi, Ben Voirlich, Uam-Var, the 
Ochil Hills and the winding Forth River, the Campasie Hills, a 
ruined Abbey, the Wallace Monument, Abbey Craig, the Bridge 
of Allan and the old "Field of Bannockburn," where Bruce 
gained the victory which liberated Scotland. 

This castle was the birth-place of James II., and also of James 
V. The latter was crowned here, and James IV. resided here. 
In a small room which we entered, James II. assassinated William, 
Earl of Douglas, and then hurled his lifeless body through the 
window into the garden below. The window is now filled with 
stained-glass, representing in the centre, a bleeding heart with a 
crown above it, donated by Queen Victoria. Mary Queen of 
Scots was imprisoned here a short time. This unfortunate yet 
beautiful queen was imprisoned in many castles, and when not 
caged up was driven about like a hunted deer, seeking shelter in 
dungeons, anywhere, that she might escape her persecutors ; and 
at last her beautiful head was severed from her body by the cruel 



THE TROSSACHS. 215 

axe of the executioner. The next day we attended services in 
the old Greyfriars Church. Here James VI. was crowned and 
John Knox preached the coronation sermon, and Queen Mary 
was also crowned here. We listened to a doctrinal sermon from 
a clergyman of the Established Church of Scotland. 

Early Monday morning we were off by train to Callander. 
There we found three or four coaches each seating twenty per- 
sons, waiting for tourists who were taking the trip through the 
Trossachs. We went by coach ten miles and had a most delight- 
ful time, passing through the country where were located the 
scenes of Scott's Lady of the Lake, and Doune Lodge, the seat 
of the Earl of Moray; rode along the banks of Lake Vennachar 
its entire length ; had a good view of Ben Voirlich, passsed close 
to the base of the lofty Ben Ledi ("the Hill of God") two 
thousand, nine hundred feet high, and Ben A'an. The latter 
appeared most beautiful, rising up so distinct in form, seemingly 
independent of all the others. And here we first saw the pretty 
pink heather which gayly clothes the mountains of Scotland. 

The road took us along the banks of Loch Achray its entire 
length, and suddenly we entered the Trossachs. This romantic 
part of the route is about a mile in length and received its name 
from its perpendicular sides, which " bristle " with a great variety 
of trees. Emerging from the Trossachs we reached Loch Katrine, 
where we took the steamer and rode from one end of it to the 
other. We soon passed a lovely little island, covered with trees, 
called "Ellen's Isle." On either side rise the lofty mountains, 
Ben Venue and Ben A'an. The lake is eight miles long and 
three-quarters of a mile wide, and has many bays and promon- 
tories. It began to mist, then rain gently, and by the time we 
had reached the termination of the lake, it poured in torrents, 
and continued to do so the remainder of the day. We again 
mounted to the top of a four-horse coach and rode to Inversnaid 
on Loch Lomond. Just picture to yourself twenty persons on 
top of a coach, with the two centre seats back to back, and the 
rain pouring intensely. Of course there was not sufficient space 
for all to put up their umbrellas, so many of the passengers were 



21 6 SCOTTISH LAKES. 

compelled to transform themselves into eaves troughs and carry 
off the water from the roofs of the umbrellas. One poor man 
did not recognize his usefulness in this particular until he felt 
the dampness on his shoulder, and discovered that his heavy 
overcoat was completely saturated with the drippings of the 
umbrella behind him. A rib of one parasol conducted the inky 
fluid directly into the ear of a lady. I felt for the first time in 
my life that I could not sing from my heart, 

" Let some droppings fall on me." 

Aside from this little unpleasantness the drive between these 
two lakes, skirting the edge of a deep ravine, wild and romantic, 
was delightful, for everybody kept in a good humor and chatted 
cheerfully. We drove up to Inversnaid hotel, and all marched 
in like drowned rats. We obtained some fresh sandwiches and 
hot coffee, while the English and .Scotch passengers indulged in 
something stronger. Our garments were restored to their origi- 
nal appearance when it was announced that our boat was ready, 
and we launched forth once more on the lake steamer. 

Loch Lomond is called the " Queen of Scottish Lakes." It is 
thirty miles long, and seven broad, and with its wooded isles, 
shadowy recesses, irregular peninsulas, and old Ben Lomond rising 
from its eastern shore to a height of three thousand feet, it is 
certainly most picturesque. We could not think of going down 
in the cabin, even if it did rain as if the clouds were emptying 
all their contents just in that particular spot; and so with our 
gossamers and umbrellas, never before so valuable and much 
appreciated, we stood on deck and admired all the grandeur 
visible, and filled in with imagination what the sun's absence 
had withdrawn from the picture, and contentedly let it rain. 
The thirty miles were at last ended and we bade farewell to 
Loch Lomond, to take a dry seat in a railway car for Glasgow. 

On the way we passed Dumbarton Castle, perched on the two 
lofty peaks of a rock, more than five hundred feet high, and 
celebrated as the place where William Wallace was imprisoned. 
Arriving at Glasgow late in the afternoon, we were fully prepared, 



GLASGOW. 217 

for the good, smoking, hot dinner which we received at the 
hotel. 

Glasgow is the. third city in Great Britain in wealth and popu- 
lation, being the industrial and commercial metropolis of Scot- 
land, and numbering more than half a million inhabitants. It 
is the seat of extensive manufactures, among which is the build- 
ing of iron ocean and river steamers. It is connected with the 
ocean by the river Clyde, and is an important sea-port city. 
The Clyde is navigable by vessels of two thousand tons burden, 
thus affording facilities for the cultivation of a world-wide com- 
merce. Glasgow has many handsome, lofty buildings of modern 
date, but owing to the number of cotton factories, chemical 
works, foundries, and work-shops of all kinds, it is black and 
smoky, and has little to detain the tourist ; so about noon the next 
day we renewed our journey, passing through Paisley, noted for 
its manufacture of beautiful shawls, a fact with which the ladies 
are all acquainted. 

About one in the afternoon, we reached Ayr, a pretty sea- 
coast town situated at the mouth of the river Ayr, across which 
stream are the "Twa Brigs." The "Auld Brig" was built in the 
reign of Alexander III, and the new one in 1788. From the sta- 
tion we took a charming walk of two miles to the birthplace of 
the poet, Robert Burns, in the country. It is a low humble cot- 
tage with a thatched roof, and had formerly but two rooms ; but 
additions have been made at both ends, making a long low build- 
ing. These two rooms, however, are kept sacred and are not 
used by the people who occupy the house. The kitchen was the 
room honored by the birth of the great poet in 1759, and in a 
small recess is a bed dating back to that time; and I suppose it 
will continue to be shown to vistors until it becomes as old and 
shadowy as that of Mary, Queen of Scots. In this room are 
two tables, some chairs, and the old-fashioned clock which be- 
longed to his childhood home. The sitting-room is now filled 
with ornaments, carved out of wood from the trees of the old 
place, with pictures on them of the cottage, Alloways Kirk and 
the bridge, which are for sale. We walked on a little distance 



2l8 AYR. 

and came to the Kirk, with nothing left but the side walls and 
gable ends, a very wee little church, with the inside walls over- 
grown with ivy, and there is the window through which Tain 
O'Shanter looked and saw the witches dance. In the church- 
yard lie Burns' father and mother. On the opposite side of the 
road, a little farther on, is the new church of Alloway, and near 
it is a fine monument to Burns, very much the same style as the 
one at Edinburgh, only higher and more beautiful. Its base is 
triangular in shape, and the architecture Grecian. 

In one part of the pretty garden which surrounds the monu- 
ment is a small building containing two pieces of statuary carved 
from stone, representing Tam O'Shanter and Sooter Johnny. 
The latter with his shoemaker's apron and his toes turned in, 
tells one plainly what his trade was. These statues have been to 
America, as well as all over Europe. We walked over the " Auld 
Brig of Alloway " which crosses the Doon river, where Tam O'- 
Shanter was pursued by the witches, and where the grey mare's 
tail was pulled off. It is an old arched stone bridge, the top 
having the same curve as the arch. We slowly walked back to 
the station and took the train for Carlisle, England ; passing 
through Dumfries where Robert Burns died at the age of thirty- 
seven years, after a residence of five years, and was buried in 
St. Michael's church-yard. Here is where he wrote "Tam O'- 
Shanter " and "To Mary in Heaven." 

We reached Carlisle in the evening and spent the next fore- 
noon in looking about this old city, which was formerly a Roman 
station and the seat of the ancient kings of Cumbria. About 
900 it was destroyed by the Danes, and for two centuries re- 
mained in ruins. It was often involved in the border wars be- 
tween England and Scotland. We went to the Cathedral and 
attended the special service of prayer for the recovery of the 
archbishop of Canterbury. A part of the old wall of the elev- 
enth century has been built into the new wall of the church. 
The arches are very crooked, the base of the columns on one 
side having sunk so as to throw the arch all out of shape. The 
high altar is just new, ornamented with different colored marbles; 



ENGLISH LAKE REGION. 219 

the large stained-glass window behind it is very handsome, and 
the stone pulpit of delicate carving is quite an ornament. 

We then took a walk around the Castle, which is a very plain 
looking structure. It is now used for barracks and military 
stores. Visitors are not allowed to enter as they are so afraid of 
dynamite or something of that nature being brought in, since 
the trouble with Ireland. Mary, Queen of Scots was here im- 
prisoned after the battle of Langside. 

We went by train to Keswick, quite a fashionable resort, 
being the best centre from which to visit most of the wildest 
scenery in the 'English Lake District. It contains less than 
three thousand inhabitants, yet it has multitudes of visitors dur- 
ing the season, and many excellent hotels. It is surrounded by 
grand old mountains and rests at the foot of Skiddaw Mountain, 
three thousand and fifty-eight feet high. It is only a quarter of 
a mile from Derwentwater, one of the most charming lakes. 
Immediately after selecting our hotel we started out for a walk 
to the "Falls of Lodore," a distance of two and a half miles. 
We walked along the shore of the lovely Derwentwater, dotted 
with row boats. It is three miles long and one and a half broad, 
and has seven or eight pretty islands. One is called the floating 
island, because at irregular intervals of a few years, it rises to 
the surface of the water. It is seven years since it made its last 
appearance. "It is a mass of earthy matter six feet thick and 
varying in size in different years, from an acre to a few perches, 
covered with vegetation and full of air-bubbles which buoy it on 
the surface of the water." This remarkable phenomenon is 
supposed to be caused by gas escaping from decayed vegetable 
matter. A beautiful range of mountains stretches along the 
shore of this lake with many, many peaks, of various shapes and 
heights, covered with the lovely pink heather ; and August is 
just the month to see it in all its glory. It is so thick that it 
gives the whole mountain a pinkish tinge. Trout, salmon, eels, 
perch and pike, are found in this lake. Our road lay through 
the valley with the lofty Wallow Crag and Falcon Crag at our 
left, and on our right the lake with another lofty range of moun- 



220 ENGLISH LAKE REGION. 

tains for a bickground; the different peaks named Cat Bells, 
Cansey Pike, Grisedale Pike and Barrow. We so much enjoyed 
this quiet, shady path with a low stone wall on either side, over- 
grown with pretty moss and in many places adorned with a rich 
growth of ivy. It seemed as if we were in fairy land, every 
spot was so replete with nature's beauty. We rested occasion- 
ally on rocks by the wayside and at last reached the Falls of 
Lodore. Here between two immense perpendicular cliffs, 
Shepherd's Crag on the right and Gowder Crag on the left, are 
scores of huge boulders interspersed with smaller ones, thrown 
together in the wildest confusion, and over these, the water 
forming an innumerable number of small cascades comes tumb- 
ling down a distance of one hundred and twenty-four feet, with 
a tremendous roar, "dizzying and deafening the ear with its 
sounds." But I will not attempt to explain how the water 
comes down at Lodore, since Southey has done it so well in his 
musical poem ending thus : 

" Retreating and beating and meeting and sheeting, 
I klaving and straying and playing and spraying, 
Advancing and prancing and glancing and dancing, 
Recoiling, turmoiling and toiling and boiling, 
And gleaming and streaming and steaming and beaming, 
And rushing and flushing and brushing and gushing, 
And flapping and rapping and clapping and slapping, 
And curling and whirling and purling ami twirling, 
And thumping and plumping and bumping and jumping, 
And dashing and flashing and splashing and clashing, 
And so never ending but always descending, 
Sounds and motions forever and ever are blending, 
All at once and all o'er, with a mighty uproar, 
And this way the water comes down at Lodore.'' 

Mr. Culler gathered some heather here, which we brought 
home to America. We walked leisurely back to our hotel and 
felt somewhat weary after our five miles stroll. The next morn- 
ing, very early, we started by coach, or wagonette, as it is 
called there, on the Buttermere excursion. We went over the 
same road that we did the previous day as far as the Falls of 



ENGLISH LAKE REGION. 221 

Lodore. From that point of the twenty-three miles' drive the 
scenery was new to us. We soon had a grand view of the Bor- 
rowdale Mountains in front of us, with Great End and Scawfell 
Pike. The latter is the highest mountain in England, being three 
thousand two hundred and ten feet. At the entrance to the 
Borrowdale Valley, rocks are thrown together promiscuously, 
scarcely leaving room for the road along the river's edge. 

We soon came to the famous Bowder Stone, an immense boul- 
der which has fallen from the adjacent crags. It is thirty-six 
feet high and eighty-nine feet in circumference ; and rests on so 
small a base, that persons on its opposite sides may shake hands, 
through a hole under it. Pieces of carpet are placed on the 
ground, so that people may perform this ceremony without soil- 
ing their garments. Ascending it by a wooden stair-case we took 
a survey of the surrounding country. Once more seated in the 
wagonette with our hands full of pretty heather we rode through 
the most charming scenery-. I had no idea there was anything 
like it in England. Tourists who go through the English Lake 
Region, and do not take this lovely ride to Buttermere, miss the 
grandest scenery in the whole district. Long ranges of moun- 
tains, one peak rising above another, covered with beautiful 
heather, form a magnificent panorama ! 

At Seatoller we all had to alight from the coaches and walk 
to the top of Honister Pass, as it was all the horses could do to 
draw the empty coaches. It is the worst carriage road in the 
Lake District, being steep, rough and stony. We walked for a 
distance of about three miles, steadily climbing up at a slow pace ; 
admiring the bold mountain scenery as we went ; and gathering 
rlowers of different varieties, some meekly lifting their heads in a 
secluded spot,' half hidden by the scattered stones, "born to 
blush unseen, and waste their fragrance on the mountain air." 
Close to the road on our left, all the way, ran a pretty mountain 
stream, with now and then a miniature cascade lightening our 
toilsome journey with its laughing waters. 

During the ascent Mount Helvellyn comes in view, and on 
reaching the summit, Honister Crag, the grandest in the district, 



222 ENGLISH LAKE REGION. 

rear? its lofty head on the left. Along its perpendicular front 
are tier above tier of slatestone quarries, making one wonder 
how men could have nerves steady enough to work in such dan- 
gerous places. The descent to the Buttermere Valley is terrifi- 
cally grand ! We were glad when it was deemed prudent to ride 
again, as we were a trifle tired. But the beautiful scenery soon 
drove away all weariness. We rode along the entire margin of 
Buttermere Lake, a distance of a mile and a quarter, a pretty 
little sheet of water. At the small village of Buttermere we 
took dinner at the Fish Hotel, and remained there three hours 
for the horses to rest. In the interim we strolled through green 
fields, by running brooks spanned by rustic bridges, until we 
came to Crummock Lake, three miles long. We sauntered 
along its pebbly shore, gathering pretty stones and watching the 
row-boats silently glide across the lake. Leisurely retracing our 
steps to the hotel we were informed that the passengers must 
walk to the top of another pass called Buttermere Hause, one 
thousand and ninety-six feet high. So we started out in advance 
of the coaches, some ten or twelve in number, and walked an 
hour and ten minutes before we reached the top. Every now 
and then we rested on stones by the wayside, and it was a pretty 
sight to see the passengers, some one hundred or more, wending 
their way up the' mountain ; and we wondered if it did not re- 
semble a pilgrimage to Mecca. One of the party, an old lady 
whose hair was prettily caught up in puffs at the sides, and was 
frosted with the breath of seventy winters, caused us to wonder 
at the agility with which she kept pace with the youngest, un- 
aided except by her Alpine stock. This return trip is called the 
Newlands Valley. It had been a lovely day, but as we neared 
home the clouds gathered, and the last part of the ride was 
quite dismal. 

Approaching Keswick we had a good view of Greta Hall, 
where Poet Southey lived the last forty years of his life, a large 
square stone house thickly shaded with trees, and also passed the 
churchyard where rest his remains. 

The next day we went to Ambleside, a distance of seventeen 



ENGLISH LAKE REGION. 223 

miles, by wagonette. It rained all the way ; so we could not 
see the tops of the mountains. For three miles we traversed the 
bank of Lake Thirlmere, from which they expect to supply the 
city of Manchester with water. The driver blew his bugle, and 
back came the echo from the mountain sides. 

We passed through the town of Grassmere, where Wordsworth 
and Coleridge are buried, and drove along the margin of Grass- 
mere lake, a mile in length. An island four acres in extent lies 
in the centre of it. We soon came to the tiny Rydal lake, only 
half a mile long, with its pretty little islands. Nab Cottage, 
covered with ivy, is where Hartley Coleridge lived and died. 
We passed Rydal Mount, a pretty knoll with a simple house 
almost concealed by trees, the home of the poet Wordsworth, 
where he died in 1850. Not far distant upon another knoll, is 
where Miss Martineau resided. We reached Ambleside about 
noon on Friday, and remained until Monday morning. It 
rained incessantly all the time. We were pleasantly entertained 
at the fashionable Queen's hotel, and formed many new acquain- 
tances. The large dining room, which looks out upon the 
mountains, is truly delightful, and gives an additional relish to 
the delicately prepared dishes. On Sabbath we attended ser- 
vices in St. Mary's church. 

As we entered the omnibus to go to Waterhead, where we 
were to take a steamer, the retinue of servants followed us to the 
door as usual, each expecting a trifle. The porter said to Mr. 
Culler, " Have you seen the boots?" " Yes, I have seen him," 
was his reply, and complacently stepped into the bus, and we 
were driven away, laughing at the audacity of the porter speak- 
ing one word for the boots and two for himself. The facts in 
the case were, that the boots had not shined Mr. Culler's boots 
while we were there, and we did not propose to pay for what we 
had not had. We had seen him, however, and could see him at 
that moment, expectantly waiting to be feed. 

We had a most delightful ride on Lake Windermere, as far as 
Bowness. We saw Wray Castle, picturesquely situated on our 
right, and on the opposite shore is Dove's Nest, a cottage nestled 



224 CHESTER. 

among the trees, formerly the residence of Mrs. Hemans, the 
poetess. Our attention was attracted to a white marble cross 
rising above the waters of the lake, and were told that it was 
placed there as a memorial to three young men who at that spot 
found a watery grave. We had the company of a very pleasant 
English lady and gentleman, by the name of Fleming. We 
landed at Bowness, and rode a mile and a half to Windermere. 
The towns of Keswick, Ambleside, Bowness, and Windermere 
are fashionable places for summer resort in the English Lake 
region, and are very pretty, quaint looking little villages, built 
mostly of rough slate stone of all sizes, apparently laid up with- 
out mortar, presenting a rustic appearance, nicely suited to the 
picturesque mountain scenery around them. We were delighted 
with this part of England, the home of the poets, and really its 
Switzerland. 

At Windermere we took train for Liverpool, and in passing 
through the town of Kendal saw the Castle, or rather its ruins, 
where Catherine Parr, last wife of Henry VIII. lived. Upon 
reaching Liverpool, we went to the North Western Hotel, one 
of the grandest in Europe, with its highly-polished granite pillars, 
handsome parlors, elegant private rooms, etc. The next morn- 
ing we ran down to Chester, a distance of sixteen miles, and 
alighted from the train in the longest depot in England, being 
one thousand and fifty feet in length, and having an iron roof. It 
rained fearfully, but we sallied forth, and walked to the old part 
of the city, where we ascended the ancient city wall, which was 
first erected A. D. 61, afterwards rebuilt in 907. It is built en- 
tirely around the old part of the city, and is seven feet thick, 
and nearly two miles in circumference, having four gates. On 
the inside is a nice stone pavement, where two people may walk 
abreast, higher than the tops of the houses, where we had a de- 
lightful (?) walk through a drenching rain half-way around the city, 
taking in the old Cathedral and the Tower, from which King 
Charles I. saw his army defeated on Rowton Moor, four miles 
away, in 1645. We also walked through some of the old arcades, 
or rows, as they are called. The houses in these streets are ar- 



HOME AGAIN. 225 

ranged thus: The front part of the second stories, as far as six- 
teen feet back, form a continuous paved walk or covered gallery, 
open in front, and is reached by steps from the street below. 
The better class of shops are in these rows, and there are dwell- 
ing rooms above, and inferior shops below them. These "rows" 
and the "old wall" are things peculiar to Chester, and we were 
glad that we had seen them, although not under the most favor- 
able circumstances. 

We returned to Liverpool, and in a short time a tap came at our 
door, and there stood Mrs. Marsh, a lady with whom we had spent 
the day at Chatsworth Estate, who came to take us to her home 
in the city, where we spent the time pleasantly for a day or two, 
until our departure for America. 

On the 6th of September, at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, we 
took the tender on the river Mersey, which conveyed us to the 
steamship Egypt, where we bade a final farewell to the Marshes, 
and once more greeted Miss Camp and Mrs. Pritchard, who 
took passage on the same steamer. The day was bright and 
beautiful, so we had a delightful send-off. My cousin, James 
Holder, a florist, had deposited with the steamship company a 
basket of choice plants from my native place (which I am happy 
to state to my readers are at the present blooming gayly), and 
his sister Mary, with her deft fingers, had beautifully embroid- 
ered a present for each of us. 

We landed in New York City on Sabbath, September 17, 1882. 
How grateful and refreshing was the sight of Staten and Coney 
Islands, clothed with verdure, as we approached our own glorious 
country ! And no less pleasing were three happy faces on the 
pier, belonging to a bride and groom and their brother, mem- 
bers of our own flock at Newton, Iowa, who had come to wel- 
come us home from across the seas. 

If any of my readers wonder why I have said so little con- 
cerning the agriculture, manufactures, commerce, customs and 
habits of the people, and political affairs of the countries which 
we visited, please remember that this is EUROPE THROUGH 
A WOMAN'S EYE. 

*5 



